Twisted Destinies
by Tsutae Kouken
Summary: Hey look, chapter 11......*tired but got it for you guys anyways* ~Tsutae~
1. Part One

Twisted Destinies  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
~Quad~  
  
  
Irvine jumped down the last set of steps at the quad, his long mahogany ponytail flying   
out behind him. 'Why walk when you can fly?' Irvine grinned to himself, the grin   
reaching his eyes, making the blue of them sparkle. He ran down to where Selphie had   
told him to meet her.  
  
'Wonder what's up?' Irvine thought, finally coming into the place where Selphie should   
have been. Looking around for his light brown haired girlfriend, Irvine walked over to a   
bench and sat down, hidden by the shade of a tree.  
  
Irvine sat and waited. Resting his chin in his hands, he began humming to himself,   
closing his eyes. Music began dancing in his mind, and he opened his eyes in surprise.   
Someone was singing in the quad.  
  
Irvine strained to listen to the melody. A hum of an acoustic guitar, and someone singing.   
When he caught it, he faintly heard the words.  
  
'Hurricane Rainbow dancing before my eyes  
Making a life busy and no time for you  
If it came down to having to decide  
Between the two, if you must know...  
I'd pick my magnificent Hurricane Rainbow...'  
  
Irvine decided to check it out. He was puzzled that anyone at Balamb Garden would sing   
such a melancholy song. He thought about Fujin and Raijin but the one didn't speak and   
the other didn't have any brains to write something like that.  
  
Walking back up the last set of stairs to the quad, Irvine went straight to a corner of the   
area, where some faint strumming noises and a couple of voices could be heard.  
  
"Tari, you are so good! You should really meet Irvine! He plays the guitar too." He heard   
Selphie's enthusiastic voice coming from the corner. Faintly, he could make out two   
figures, one sitting with a guitar, the other standing and clapping her hands.  
  
"Selphie! What's up?" Irvine called, hoping he had come at a good time. He was hoping   
that the guitar player was just a friend....  
  
"Irvine!" Selphie rushed out into the light, hugging Irvine in a tight embrace. He hugged   
her tightly back, glad he was right about a friend.  
  
"Tari! Come meet Irvine! He's my boyfriend I told you about!" Selphie turned in his arms   
and called to the figure in the shadows. It stood up and came halfway into the light.  
  
"Hello. Nice to meet you, Irvine. Selphie has spoken a lot about you." Irvine's heart   
skipped a beat when he saw her. Very long blue hair, and a violet eye for all he could see   
was half of her face. She wore a blue and green mid-drift shirt, white fingerless gloves,   
and baggy khaki pants. He could see that in one ear she had two earrings.  
  
"Nice to meet you too,....Tari." Irvine remembered what Selphie had called her. Tari   
turned her head so that he could see her face fully in the light. He gasped.  
  
Half of her hair was blue, the other half violet. The two were subtly mixed down the part   
of her hair, the left the blue, the right the violet. Her eyes, the left one violet, and the right   
one blue.  
  
"She doesn't like people making fun of the ways she looks...so don't say anything!"   
Selphie hissed in his ear. He nodded slightly.  
  
"It's nice to be here in Balamb Garden. I'm hoping to become a SeeD." She said, her   
double colored eyes and hair unnerving. She fascinated Irvine though. She seemed so   
familiar.  
  
"I hope you make it." Irvine smiled back at her.  
  
"Well....I'd better be going. It's almost lunch and I need to put my guitar away. Ja ne!!"   
Tari said before turning away in a swish of violet and blue.  
  
"Ja ne, Tari! We'll talk later!" Selphie called back, watching the girl walk away. Irvine   
grinned and led Selphie to a bench to sit down and talk.  
  
"Who is that?" Irvine questioned, when he finally sat down.  
  
"Tari Ihiri. She showed up here all of a sudden, claiming she was from the north, around   
the Trabia area. No one knows her background yet. And she hasn't volunteered any   
information. She seems nice though." Selphie said, leaning back against the bench   
backing. Irvine put his arm along the back of the seat.  
  
"Tari. Is her hair naturally that way? And her eyes too?" Irvine asked curiously, looking   
at his spunky girlfriend. Cute as a button, with light brown hair that curled up at the ends,   
and sparkly green eyes.  
  
"Yeah. So she told me. Everyone is kinda afraid of her though. Everyone who's met her   
anyway." Selphie said, half laughing. "She'd be a good match for Zell. He likes to fight   
and so does she."  
  
"Oh no you don't! We are not playing matchmaker again. We did that with Quisty and   
Seifer and almost got ourselves killed in the process." Irvine tapped her on the nose with   
his finger. She playfully tired to bite his finger.  
  
"Don't even think it missy. We'd get in SO much damn trouble." Irvine sighed and   
relaxed against the bench. Selphie leaned against him and hummed the song Tari had   
been playing earlier.   
  
"Did she write that?" Irvine asked. Selphie like the way his voice seemed to hum in her   
ear when she had her ear on his chest.  
  
"Yep. It's kinda a dark song, huh? She seems so lonely. She came here from the deserts.   
No one really knows why she's here." Selphie felt something tingly inside of her. It felt   
like a premonition of something to come. 'Why...why do I feel so weird? Is...is Tari..evil?'   
Selphie wondered, a troubled look coming to her eyes. Her boy friend looked at her,   
seeing she wasn't her usual happy self.  
  
"Selph? Hey....you okay?" Irvine gently shook her shoulder. Selphie seemed to snap out   
of a trance.   
  
"What? Oh-never mind. I was just thinking and my mind wandered." Selphie stood up   
and stretched. Irvine's eyes wandered idly over her body, wondering what it would be   
like to touch her, like he wanted to touch her.  
  
"Well...I promised Rinoa and Quisty I'd go help them prepare a few lunches for the junior   
classmen. They're all going on a big picnic today. See you later, Irvy-kun!" Selphie   
winked and ran off, her brown hair bobbing aroudnd her shoulders in the sun.  
  
"Ja ne, Elph-chan. See you later...." Irvine sighed. Even though she was his   
girlfriend...they were getting nowhere fast. She didn't like kissing, so it seemed, for they   
were never alone enough to actually kiss, and he was afraid to touch her.  
  
Irvine idly strolled around, before heading off to the dorms to see if he could find Squall.   
If it worked out, he'd get somewhere with Selphie tonight. All he needed was a little help.  
  
~Cafeteria~  
  
"Hot dogs...hot dogs...." Zell repeated over and over, finding himself almost tasting them.   
It was now a routine for the lunch ladies to serve hot dogs immediately to the first people   
who came.   
  
"But I don't want...." He heard a girl protest, as she was handed a tray with two hot dogs,   
a bag of chips, and a coke. He stared as she tried to make a protest again, but then was   
pushed out of the way.  
  
"Arrrhg! Bakas! I can't believe they call this 'service'!!" Zell watched as she stomped off,   
noting her half violet half blue hair was very unusual and she had an awesome figure.   
'Wonder who she is?' Zell mused as the line moved ahead of him.  
  
"Can I help you? Sorry, but we're out of hot dogs. We just ran out." The lady at the   
counter said when Zell approached it finally. Zell banged the counter with his fist and   
sighed. The lunch lady winced.  
  
"I'll have a large Caesar salad and a Coke." Zell finally said, thinking he'd better eat   
healthy for once. Rinoa would go ballistic if she saw him. Taking his order, he went to   
find a seat.  
  
"Crap. Every place taken. Shit." Zell cursed as he made his way to the sitting area.   
Looking around, he saw an empty chair sticking out from behind a large column. Rushing   
to it, he sat himself down in it. Preparing to eat, he didn't notice the tray on the other side   
of the square table.   
  
"Oh…I'm sorry…was this your place?" Zell looked up and saw the girl who had been   
complaining about the service earlier. He looked straight into her blue and violet eyes and   
dropped his fork. She smiled at him, and sat down, opening a straw.  
  
"Uh no…. is it okay if I sit here? It's packed." Zell fumbled for his fork as he talked to   
her.  
  
"I don't mind. I'm Tari Ihiri. Who are you?" She asked, sipping her Coke. Zell stared at   
the two hot dogs on her plate. She looked at his salad.  
  
  
"Lucky." They both said at the same time.  
  
" I wanted a salad…but they wouldn't listen." Tari said, laughing.  
  
"I wanted hot dogs…but they were out when I got there." Zell said, chuckling at the irony   
of it all.  
  
"Want to switch? I haven't touched them." Tari slid her plate over to his side.  
  
"Sure. Thanks." Zell took the hot dogs, and began to eat as she took his salad.  
  
As they ate, there was an uncomfortable silence between them.  
  
"Are…. are you a SeeD?" Tari asked, shyly.  
  
"Yeah. I have been for a while. Where did you come from?" Zell asked, washing down   
the last bit of hot dog with a large drink of Coke.  
  
"The desserts…I came to this Garden to see if I could become a SeeD. I have to take   
exams at the end of the week so they can see where to put me. I've never had proper   
training before." Tari crumpled her napkin in her hands. It was a nervous gesture.  
  
"Ever handled GF?" Zell asked, very curious as she stacked their trash in a pile to be   
taken away.  
  
Something evil seemed to cloud her different colored eyes. She frowned and answered in   
a cold voice, " I have one of the most powerful GFs ever."  
  
Zell looked taken aback. She had to be lying. And he didn't like the look on her face.  
  
"Most powerful GF…. EVER?" Zell asked, disbelief in his voice.  
  
"Yes. You will see it sometime. Rhapha is very powerful and very strong." Tari stood up   
and walked away, sending out a cold aura about her. Zell just stared as she left the   
cafeteria.  
  
He shivered. Something about the name Rhapha really was disturbing. It was familiar and   
seemed like he'd heard something about it too. Tari really wasn't what she seemed.  
  
  
A/N: Kay. That was Part One. R&R please. I'm working on other parts soon to come!  
Ja! Tsutae Kouken  
  



	2. Part Two

Twisted Destinies: Part Two  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
~Kitchen~  
  
"Wow…. that's a lotta lunches." Selphie let her eyes move across the rows of brown   
bags, each with a sandwich in it. "How are we going to tell which sandwich is which?"   
She wondered aloud.  
  
"Well…if the kids don't like what they got then they can trade with each other." Rinoa   
said, wrinkling her brow and then laughing. She was almost as bubbly as Selphie at   
times. Her brown eyes took on a weary look as she viewed the many bags.  
  
"Do we REALLY have this many junior classmen?" Rinoa asked, brushing a strand of   
black hair out of her eyes. She glanced at Quistis, who was leaning against the fridge, that   
was now nearly out of supplies.  
  
"I think so…. Unless dear Nida-kun has made a mistake in his calculating again." Quistis   
started picking up several of the empty bread bags and began throwing them away, her   
blonde hair falling over her shoulders.  
  
"What a mess. Let's get cracking or else Cid will crack our skulls." Selphie giggled at the   
thought of Cid, the headmaster, actually hurting one of the SeeDs. Joining in with the   
other girls, Selphie finished the trash clean up quickly.  
  
"I vote Quisty does the dishes. I vote that Selphie does the drying. I'll put them away.   
Sound fair?" Rinoa said, frowning at the pile of dishes they had used.  
  
"Oi! You can't do that!" Quistis laughed as Selphie and Rinoa pushed her towards the   
mountain of dishes.  
  
"Yes we can, oh wonderful instructor!" Rinoa laughed back. But then, a group of Trepies   
came in to help their blue-eyed goddess.  
  
"We'll finish for you, Instructor Trepe!" One of the girls said, her eyes wide with   
adoration. The others, mainly boys, all gave her puppy dogfaces.  
  
"Oi…. okay. You can do it if you want. I don't care." Quistis made a careless gesture   
with her hand and the Trepies rushed past her and began attacking the dishes with great   
vim.  
  
"Well…I guess we're spared for now. It's nice to have a fan club, huh??" Rinoa asked, a   
teensy bit jealous. "You don't have to finish your work all the time."  
  
"Seifer doesn't appreciate it, though. They follow her around EVERYWHERE!" Selphie   
teased the older girl. Quistis bopped the brunette on the head. Selphie pretended to be   
hurt.  
  
"Whatever! He just doesn't like being…uh…. interrupted." Quistis turned pink as she   
searched for the right word. Rinoa and Selphie exchanged looks, knowing exactly what   
had to be "interrupted."  
  
"Yeah…. sure, sure, Quisty. Let's get ready to go on that field trip with those little   
classmen, ne?" Rinoa skipped ahead in the direction of Squall's dorm room. "See you   
guys later!"  
  
"Bye!" Selphie and Quistis headed off in the opposite direction.  
  
Rinoa hummed to herself as she walked down the quiet halls to the dorm room where she   
slept on a cot on the floor. Squall had been uncomfortable about it, but she knew he'd   
feel better about it in time. She just wanted to be close to him.  
  
Nearing the room, she could hear male voices talking. She giggled, thinking it would be   
Zell asking Squall for "girl advice" again. She wondered why Zell never went to Irvine.   
All the girls went for HIM.  
  
"Oh okay…then you'll be here…and then if you just flip that switch I think I could do   
the rest." She heard Irvine's voice, both eager and serious. Wrinkling her nose, she   
wondered whether or not to interrupt.  
  
"RINOA! HEY!!! I got some good news!" Nida's voice rang in her ears, very loud,   
making her fall against Squall's dorm door. The impact from her body being thrown   
against the door flung the door open, revealing Irvine and Squall sitting on chairs, with a   
piece of paper that was scribbled on between them.  
  
"What? Rinoa?" Squall jumped up, knocking his chair over. Irvine quickly hid the piece   
of paper.   
  
Rinoa turned pink. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, but she always   
seemed to be getting into messes.  
  
Nida just stared and then sighed and shook his head.  
  
"There's a carnival coming to Balamb. I thought maybe Rinoa would want to go…it'd be   
more like her home for her." Nida shrugged, handing the flyer to Squall, who had   
reclaimed his cool.  
  
"Starlight Carnival of Dreams?" Squall read. 'Please….this is so corny of them to name a   
carnival. I hope Rinoa doesn't want to go….' Squall closed his eyes in thought. 'But   
then…it would help her feel more at home.'  
  
"I feel perfectly at home here….but I would like to go." Rinoa put her hands on her hips   
in a very childish gesture.  
  
"Well…..Selphie and I could go too, Squall. It sounds pretty good." Irvine spoke up,   
calmly folding the piece of paper and putting it on Squall's desk where he could see it.  
  
Squall nodded slightly. Rinoa frowned and dived for the folded paper.  
  
"I want to see!" Rinoa reached for the paper, but Irvine snatched it up, and put it in his   
pocket.  
  
"Nope. Top secret Irvine info. See you guys later. And I'll ask Selphie about the   
Carnival, Squall. She'll probably want to go. Bye." Irvine walked out, giving Nida a look   
as he walked out the door.  
  
"Guess I'll be going too." Nida followed Irvine, looking disgusted at the cowboy.  
  
"Squall, what was that about?" Rinoa demanded. Squall cracked a slight grin, and shook   
his head.  
  
"Like he said, top secret Irvine info. You'll know later." Squall sat back down on the   
chair Irvine had sat on. Rinoa turned the other chair right side up.   
  
"Well….fine. You got to get out cause I need to change cause I'm going on that field trip   
with the junior classmen." Rinoa pouted at her boyfriend.  
  
"Okay. I will. But you'd better stay out of my stuff, girl…..last time you did that I almost   
wanted to kill you." Squall smiled and set the flyer for the Carnival on the desk, exactly   
where Irvine had set his piece of paper. She looked at his profile and sighed in a dreamy   
way.  
  
Tall, that thick brown hair, the handsome features, and those piercing blue eyes. She kept   
staring at him until she realized he was saying her name.  
  
"Rinoa?! Hello…anyone in there?" Squall waved his hands in front of her eyes. Rinoa   
blinked a couple of times and turned pink again.  
  
"You going to change or what?" Squall walked towards the door, pulling on his ever-  
present leather jacket. "Later, Rin-rin." He left the room.  
  
Rinoa sighed and got up, walked over to her box of clothing on the floor next to her cot.   
Picking out a pair of jean shorts and a blue t-shirt, she changed quickly. Making sure she   
had her smallest weapon, her Pinwheel, with her, she headed for the front gate.  
  
~2nd Floor Classroom~  
  
Squall walked down the quiet hall, aiming for the observation deck. Humming in his   
mind, the thought about Irvine and his plan. Irvine wanted to take Selphie up to the deck   
and have dinner with her there. Then Squall was supposed to lock them out there and turn   
off the lights.  
  
'Simple enough. I just hope Selphie doesn't blow him up for planning something like that   
if she ever found out!' Squall neared the door, and found it was halfway open. Seeing   
someone heading up the deck, Squall called out.  
  
"Hey!" Squall rushed up the stairs, thinking it might be Zell, for this was one of Zell's   
favorite hangouts. He found himself looking at a long cascade of double colored hair.  
  
"Hey, yourself. What's wrong?" She asked, turning, her violet and blue hair making a   
bizarre effect of twisting around as she turned.  
  
"Nothing. I thought you might be someone else." Squall said, his brow darkening. He   
hadn't seen her here before.  
  
"Oh….does anyone else here have hair like this?" She tugged on a few strands of her   
violet and blue hair. "I didn't see anyone." She smiled down at Squall.  
  
"No...no one else does. It's just this is one of my friend's hang outs." Squall said, starting   
up the stairs again. He passes her and looked back into her eyes. He was startled to see   
they were violet and blue as well.  
  
"Well…I'll see you around……." Squall turned and went up to the deck. She followed   
him.  
  
"I'm Tari Ihiri. Are you….Squall? The one that Headmaster Cid mentioned? One of the   
ones who are called 'Saviors of the World'?" She asked him, pulling out a small camera   
and snapping away at the view of scenery from the deck.  
  
"I am Squall." The wind blew Squall's brown hair away from his face, letting her see his   
scar.   
  
"That scar…where'd you get it?" Tari pointed at his face, putting her camera down for a   
moment.  
  
"It was in a fight. I got hit, so I hit my opponent back in the same place." Squall said,   
getting slightly annoyed. She was asking too many questions.  
  
"Ah. I wish I had done the same for mine." She looked back out at the vast field as Squall   
turned and looked at her. His eyes moved over her pretty face, but they didn't see any   
scars.  
  
"What do you mean?" Squall asked, curious and puzzled even though he wouldn't admit   
it.  
  
"I was in a fight about 3 years ago. My ……opponent hit me in the side and wounded me   
badly." Lifting the right side of her mid-drift shirt, he saw on the right side of her ribs   
was a scar in the shape of a perfect crescent moon.  
  
"What kind of weapon makes a mark like that so perfect?" Squall asked, looking away.  
  
"A scythe. He had a scythe. All I had was my fists then." She put her camera in the   
pocket of her khaki pants. "Now I have my Wild Claws."  
  
"Wild Claws? That is something I've never heard of." Squall thought about his gun   
blade. It was just what he wanted and needed. He was glad it was unlike any other.  
  
"This is what they are." Tari pulled out two things that looked like flat black boxes.   
Attaching them to her wrists with strong black leather straps, she held them before   
herself.  
  
Squall jumped back when she touched a button on each one and a clicking sound was   
heard. Three blades, eight inches of retractable steel had shot out from each of the boxes,   
jointed cleverly so that they could fold up into the boxes.  
  
"That's very impressive." Squall thought about the damage she could do if she knew   
martial arts.   
  
"Thanks. I made them with the help of a friend from the desert." Tari took them off and   
put them back in her pockets. She then went pale. Leaning against the edge of the wall,   
she began to shake and shudder.  
  
"Hey…is something wrong??" Squall asked, watching her twitch. She closed her eyes in   
pain and began making sounds as if she was choking.  
  
"I…I'm fine…." She said when she stopped twitching all of a sudden. She looked at him,   
her eyes now cold as ice. Squall was startled, for it looked like the look he had given a lot   
of people before.  
  
"Are you sure? What happened?" Squall asked, looking her straight in the eyes, not   
budging even thought the coldness was unbearable.  
  
"It is not of your concern, Leonhart. Leave what is not your business alone, and nothing   
will happen to you." Tari said, turning from his gaze, and climbing onto the edge of the   
wall.  
  
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Squall yelled as she turned to the outside edge of   
the wall. Spreading her arms, she leaned forward.  
  
And she dived off.  
  
"THE HELL? NOOOOOO!" Squall stretched over the edge of the wall, his hand   
reaching in vain for the figure growing smaller as it sped towards the ground.  
  
Something in him went sick as he saw her land…….on her feet.   
  
~Front Gate~   
  
"Okay kids…let's get going….each of you grab a sack." Quistis and Seifer had brought   
out all the lunch sacks and now the junior classmen were all fighting to get one. Rinoa   
and Selphie came jogging up, each wearing comfortable outfits.  
  
"Wow….look at them go!" Selphie laughed as the kids finally got their lunches and in   
line to leave.  
  
"Yeah. It's great to see them all doing good once again. I'm sorry I wanted to destroy   
this place once." Seifer said wistfully. Quistis hugged him tightly, bringing a soft gleam   
to his blue eyes.  
  
"It's okay, Seifer. It's all okay now." Quistis buried her face in his trench coat, savoring   
his scent. He put an arm around her and the two stood there, watching Selphie and Rinoa   
getting the kids in the right order.  
  
"I know, Quisty. I know that now. What about Zell? Is he coming to help you guys?"   
Seifer asked, the two pulling away from each other, following the lines of kids exiting the   
Garden.  
  
"I don't think so. He didn't tell me." Quistis said, turning to say good-bye to her   
boyfriend.  
  
"Later, babe. I've got to get to a disciplinary meeting. Fujin and Raijin are waiting."   
Seifer kissed her brow in a rare show of affection for her. She smiled as he walked off   
then ran to join her friends who were preparing to leave.  
  
"Hey…have you seen Squall? He volunteered to drive one of the vehicles." Rinoa said as   
Quistis joined her at the front gate.  
  
"I don't know. The last time I saw him was yesterday." Quistis said, shading her eyes   
from the sun with her hand. Turning back, she spotted Squall running out the front gate.   
  
"Hey…wonder what's the matter with him?" Quistis remarked, noting that Squall had a   
hard look on his face, as he always did if something important was on his mind. He sped   
past the girls, his leather jacket flying straight out behind him.  
  
"SQUALL?!" Rinoa called after him, worry clouding her eyes. "Quistis, you guys go   
ahead. Get Zell to drive in Squall's place. I've got to find out what is wrong." With that,   
Rinoa ran after Squall, taking a northern direction around the Garden.  
  
Squall put on the speed when he saw Tari's form standing alone on the flat plain.  
  
Rinoa saw what he was heading for and she wondered how Tari got to be there. But   
Squall knew something and it seemed out of place.  
  
"Tari!?" Squall reached the girl standing alone. She didn't move.  
  
"Tari?" Squall asked again, touching her shoulder.  
  
"What? What do you want?" Tari answered, turning and looking at him. Squall felt   
white-hot anger boiling inside of him.   
  
"Do you take me for a fool? I saw you jump from the observation deck!" Squall felt like   
yelling at her.  
  
"I know you did. My grandfather taught me how to free-fall with Aero. That's what I   
did." Tari said, grinning at the angry Squall.  
  
"Free-falling? With AEROS? You know how scarce that magic is?" Squall said, his voice   
not hiding his anger with this girl.  
  
"When you have as much as I do, then you can spare some. It's not like another war is   
coming, geez." Tari shrugged in an indifferent way. Rinoa had never seen anyone act like   
that with Squall, unless it was Squall himself.  
  
"BUT MAGIC IS STILL SCARCE!" Squall actually yelled this time. Tari's eyes seemed   
to flash with an inhuman green glow.  
  
"You wish to fight me?" Tari demanded of him. Squall felt something in his go numb.   
  
'No…I don't want to fight you. I don't feel like I could win, if you can afford to use   
magic so carelessly.' Squall thought. 'Besides….what is it that you have done wrong?'  
  
"What is it that I have done wrong?" Tari asked, startling Squall. He was surprised she   
had voiced what he just thought.  
  
"Squall……." Rinoa said, something in her voice asking everything she wanted to know.  
  
"It's okay, Rinoa. It's fine. A mistake, that's all. Let's go." Squall put his arm around   
Rinoa's shoulders and led her away. Looking back, he saw Tari looking dejected and   
alone, completely different from the defiant girl she had been earlier.  
  
"Rhapha….you…you said I wouldn't be alone again. Why am I still by myself?" Tari   
said aloud, asking the empty air, looking for a reply.  
  
Silence.  
  
  
A/N: This was kinda fun to write. I'm a very serious person normally so I guess writing   
lets me let it out! Ja! Tsutae Kouken  
  



	3. Part Three

Twisted Destinies: Part Three  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
~Field~  
  
"So you say she's just a weirded out person who needs to go to an insane asylum?" Zell   
asked, after hearing Squall's story.  
  
"No…I just think she needs a little supervision. That's all." Squall said, lying on the   
grass, listening to the girl's playing with the junior classmen.   
  
"Supervision? Come on, that girl is an ice queen at times. No one could stand her for   
long. I know I can't." Zell said, taking another sandwich out of one of the extra lunch   
bags.  
  
"You've talked to her then?" Squall asked, sitting up so he could hear better.  
  
"Yeah. We had lunch together and afterwards she seemed to get offended when I   
mentioned GFs. She said she had the most powerful one. Named Rhapha. I could swear   
I've heard of it before." Zell said, between bites. Squall frowned and put his hand on his   
forehead in his typical thinking gesture.  
  
"You know…me too. I'll ask Matron about it next time I see her." Squall said, hearing   
Rinoa come up behind him.  
  
"Hey! Squall, come help us play hide-and-seek. You too, Zell!!" Rinoa said, wrapping   
her arms around his neck and hanging onto his back as he stood up.  
  
"Okay okay. Let's go." Squall said, turning and walking away with Rinoa still on his   
back. Rinoa giggled like crazy.  
  
"Kids. I wonder if Tari was ever a kid like these?" Zell asked himself as he ran to catch   
up with the rest of the SeeDs and the Junior Classmen.  
  
A few hours later, they all headed back to Balamb Garden, the junior classmen tired but   
happy.  
  
"I can't wait to see Irvine! He told me that we'd have dinner on the conservatory!"   
Selphie bounced up and down in her seat.  
  
Squall smiled. Oh yeah…she'd be surprised alright.  
  
  
~Quad~  
  
"Hey….Tari! What's up?" Irvine asked the duo-color haired girl. She smiled faintly at   
him, her face pale and sad.  
  
"Not much. And you?" She said faintly. Irvine decided that Tari didn't look too well.  
  
"You sure you're okay? You look very pale." Irvine knelt next to the girl, who was sitting   
on some steps next to her guitar.  
  
"I know. I don't know why, but lately I've been feeling very sick when I use magic, even   
Curagas. I've tried using one of those to make me feel better, but I just felt worse." Tari   
said, hugging herself and shivering again in the bright sunshine.  
  
"Let's take you to the infirmary. The doctor will know what to do." Irvine took her hand,   
and tried to get her to stand up. Tari refused to comply with him.  
  
"No! Please. I'll be fine. It's just one of those things that happen often." Tari took her   
hand away from him. Irvine leaned forward and put his arms around her.  
  
"Hey….hey…It's okay. Just come with me and the new doctor will check it out, okay?"   
Irvine said, his face really close to hers. Tari nodded and stood up, Irvine moving back   
and keeping one arm around her.  
  
"What are you two doing?" Xu came out of the shadows, having seen the two but not   
hearing what they said. She glanced at Tari's pale face and wondered why Irvine had just   
turned red.  
  
"She's sick. I'm going to take her to Doctor Chiyuu. She'll know what to do about it."   
Irvine stammered some as he said this, making Xu suspicious.  
  
'I wonder if this girl is trying to make a play for Irvine? Or is she really sick?' Xu   
wondered to herself.  
  
Irvine nodded to Xu and he and Tari walked away.  
  
'I wonder if Selphie should know about this…..'  
  
Xu nodded to herself. Selphie should know.  
  
  
Tari looked at Dr. Chiyuu and sighed. This doctor didn't know ANYTHING!  
  
"I don't know what is wrong, Tari, but something is really weird here." Dr Chiyuu   
pointed out.  
  
'State the obvious why don't you?' Tari thought to herself.  
  
"Well, why don't you come back after a couple of days and we'll find out, okay?" The   
doctor smiled. It was a friendly smile coming from a pretty redheaded girl.  
  
"All right then. I will." Tari got off of the bed and left the room.   
  
Leaving the Infirmary, Tari headed for the 2nd floor classroom, to see if she could find   
something on the other GFs here.  
  
That's when she spotted Zell waiting for her.  
  
For a strange reason, she felt somewhat glad. Then she felt something inside her stirring.  
  
"No, Rhapha. I like him. I'm going to talk to him." Tari said to the GF.  
  
It stirred and then quieted down, fading back into her soul. Tari put on a smile and   
walked over to Zell, who was waiting.  
  
"You feeling okay now?" Zell asked, his face showing genuine concern. What he was   
really concerned about was the story he had heard from Xu when they arrived back from   
the field day with the junior classmen.  
  
"Yeah. She told me to come back in two days." Tari really did look pale in the light. Zell   
frowned almost imperceptibly.  
  
"Well…want to go for a walk?" Zell asked, putting his hands in his pockets. "You'll get   
some warm sunshine that way."  
  
"I'd like that." Tari felt Rhapha stirring again and smiled to cover her unease.  
  
The two walked in silence to the training grounds, where they strolled around.  
  
Zell finally asked her a question.  
  
"What do you think of Irvine?"   
  
"I think he's a little immature, and I think that he's cute when he's with that girl. What's   
her name? Oh yeah…Selphie." Tari tried to remember the name of the girl with the funny   
brown hair and succeeded.  
  
Zell believed her.   
  
"So…you use a GF, huh?" Zell asked next.  
  
"I do. Rhapha is her name."   
  
"Can you tell me where you go her?"  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
"I've got time and patience on my side." Zell grinned as he said this. 'Okay…so I'm the   
least patient person in the Garden. Who cares?' he thought.  
  
"Well….when I was younger, I lived outside the desert area. You should know where   
that is. I don't remember my parents much, and I lived with my grandparents for a while.   
But they said I was a child with a rebellious streak in me and I left soon after I was   
fourteen." Tari smiled to herself in a kind of pleased way.  
  
"FOURTEEN?" Zell pretended to be surprised. 'So she's about eighteen now….four   
years no one really knows what she was doing and where she had been. It sounds enough   
to be suspicious.' He mused for a minute before he realized she was speaking again.  
  
"Yeah. I came to a village, called the Shumi village and stayed there for a year, learning   
how to use GF. It was quite fun." Tari stopped for a second.  
  
"Go on." Zell prompted.  
  
"I left there. I wandered around for another year, and then came the day that I met this   
huge youma. It was one of the ugliest creatures I had ever seen and I didn't want to   
challenge it but it challenged me. So…I fought it and gained Rhapha after it died. It was   
funny, cause that youma didn't look so weak." Tari seemed to be puzzled herself.  
  
"Do you think……that that GF wanted you?" Zell voiced his thought, not knowing if it   
would be a trigger to one of her weird moods again.  
  
"I don't know. All I know is that Rhapha isn't a normal GF. I'm scared she's taking over   
me." Tari seemed human for once, actually looking as scared as she sounded.  
  
Zell looked at the smaller girl, her eyes seeming to fill with worry. 'I wonder if that's it?   
She's being taken over?'   
  
"I don't know how to get rid of her. I can't junction her to anyone who doesn't want her."   
Tari's eyes were troubled.  
  
"I'd take her for you and get rid of her." Zell offered. Tari actually smiled at that.  
  
"Rhapha has a drawback. She is only suited for females." Zell eyed Tari with a weird   
look.  
  
"What? Is she sexist or something?" This remark made Tari laugh. Zell wondered why   
she was laughing.  
  
"No…she is…I don't know how to say it, but she'll turn a male into a female if she is   
equipped to a male." Zell's eyes got really big at that response.   
  
"I don't want to take her then. You can have her!" Zell looked so horrified at the thought   
of being a girl that made Tari laugh even harder.  
  
"I don't think Rhapha would switch. She takes only people she wants." Tari said, getting   
more serious.  
  
"Only the people she wants? That doesn't sound like your average GF. It sounds weird."   
Zell commented, thinking about asking Cid or Matron if they knew anything about a GF   
named Rhapha.  
  
"I know. But I like Rhapha. She has a lot of powers most GFs don't." Tari leaned on the   
railing, looking at the water flowing around the middle of the training center.  
  
"I see. You have a lot of guts to come here and say most GFs can't stand up to your   
Rhapha." Zell said, thinking about his own.  
  
"Well…she gave me something that is a one of a kind magic." Tari reached into her   
pocket, pulling out a small velvet box.  
  
"That looks like ring box." Zell was skeptical.  
  
Tari opened the box, and there in the center was a small ruby egg shaped jewel. Zell eyed   
it curiously.  
  
"What is it?" He asked.  
  
"It's a Phoenix Egg. It's a life restorer. It has to be used with a Firaga and a Phoenix   
down to restore life." Tari looked at the jewel with a sense of pride. "Of course…I've   
never had to use it. I'm glad for I don't have anyone really special and even if I did they   
wouldn't be dead right now."  
  
"So…you're saying even with all this power you don't have any friends?" Zell was   
surprised. He had a lot to report to the others.  
  
"Right. But…you've been nice. One of the first real friends I've ever had." Tari blushed,   
and held out the velvet box holding the powerful magic stone. Zell's eyes flew wide open   
and he looked at her curiously.  
  
"You want to give me this?"  
  
"Yeah. I just feel like I want too. Rhapha has no objections….at least that I know of."   
Tari felt the angry protests inside of her, coming from the GF, belying what she said.  
  
Zell took the box in his hands, the precious magic jewel glistening and glowing.   
Snapping the lid shut, Zell stuffed it in his pocket and mumbled his thanks, his face   
turning red.  
  
Tari looked pale all of a sudden and said she needed to go lay down. Zell thought it was   
well timed, for he needed to gather his thoughts anyway.  
  
  
~Quad~  
  
"So what are you going to do?" Selphie asked Zell, who had just told them about what   
Tari and he had spoken. But he didn't mention the Phoenix egg.  
  
"I'm going to go to the desert area. Maybe there's a city there that she came from. If I   
take the Tandoku, I'll be back by tomorrow." Zell stood up and walked away from the   
group gathered at the quad.  
  
"Well…..I think she's okay. I think she's just feeling insecure and wants to fit in." Rinoa   
said, leaning against Squall. Squall put his arm around her.  
  
"I do too. She seems to be getting along really well with Zell though! They'd be really   
cute together!" Selphie pointed out. Irvine covered her mouth with his hand and she   
giggled hysterically.  
  
"Well….I guess so. But we'd better get ready. It's dinner time soon and we get to serve   
the lovebirds on the observation deck!" Quistis teased, feeling kind of lonely without   
Seifer there. Seifer didn't like group discussions and preferred to be alone.  
  
"Yeah man! It's going to be a blast! You guys serving us! Whoo hoo!" Selphie jumped   
up and down. Irvine cracked a slight grin. She didn't know how good tonight was going   
to be.  
  
Squall kept a straight face. He didn't know how Selphie would react, but something told   
him not in the usual way.  
  
Rinoa still had a feeling that something was up. She'd just have to wait.  
  
  
A/N: I am beginning to actually see a good plot come out here. I just write and the stupid   
plot forms itself. There will be more coming! Ja! Tsutae Kouken  



	4. Part Four

Twisted Destinies: Part Four  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
  
~Outside Tandoku, center of Forest on Desert~  
  
Zell blinked several times before finally telling himself that what he saw was real.  
  
A cluster of small houses, all together was making a tiny village in a small oasis in the   
desert. Zell began walking down the path into the scenic village.  
  
People didn't stop to look at him, as if visitors with small planes were regular things.  
  
Zell wandered around for a bit, then decided to ask about Tari.  
  
"Excuse me, miss. Could you tell me anything about a Tari Ihiri?" Zell tapped an older   
woman on the shoulder.  
  
The woman, with wispy gray hair and pale watered eyes look at him in surprise. She then   
began shouting.  
  
"Pappy! Come here, quick! This young'un knows something about our Tari!" The   
woman smiled happily at Zell, who was purely startled at having such good luck.  
  
"You know our Tari?" The woman beamed up at Zell. All Zell could do was nod.  
  
"I shoulda figured. You have strange hair just like that grandchild of mine." She pulled   
Zell into the small house, as an older man came down a set of stairs.  
  
"It's sure been a while since we've heard from Tari. How is she? Did she come with   
you?" The older man asked. Zell found his voice.  
  
"I'm Zell Dincht, and I'm sorry to say, Tari didn't come with me." Zell said, bowing   
slightly to the two elderly people. "It might have cleared many things up if she had."  
  
"Is she in trouble? Or causing trouble?" The old man demanded, getting red in the face.  
  
"Calm down, Pap Kinny. It's okay. I don't think she's in trouble." The old woman said,   
laying a hand on Pap Kinny's shoulder. "I'm Ma Kinny and this is Pap Kinny."  
  
"Well, I came here to find out about Tari." Zell said, deciding to be blunt.  
  
"I thought you knew her?" Pap Kinny said, looking puzzled. His gray hair was frizzy and   
his brown eyes were all cross-eyed.  
  
"I do, but I need more information. Has she lived here all her life?" Zell asked, preparing   
himself to barrage these people with questions.  
  
"No…she left here around 14, after she found that dad-gummed ice GF. It turned her hair   
blue. Blue as her eyes it did. What does she look like now?" Pap Kinney demanded of   
Zell.  
  
"Blue hair on the right side and violet on the left. But…her hair wasn't always   
multicolored?" Zell asked.  
  
"No…here's a picture of her and a picture of her brother. See? They both have that rich   
mahogany hair that their parents had. They've never met, I imagine." Ma Kinney pointed   
to two pictures on the wall.   
  
One was clearly Tari with mahogany hair and blue eyes.  
  
The other shocked Zell. It was Irvine.  
  
"Is that….is that Irvine Kinnaes? " Zell asked, his voice catching in his throat slightly.  
  
"Yes. That's his sister, Tari Kinnaes. She's a wild one, like her brother. He was sent to   
become a SeeD. Tari really resented the fact that he was sent and she wasn't. She was   
born shortly after Irvine." Pap Kinny said, his eyes growing misty with memory.  
  
"They was just beautiful little kids, until missy Tari found that GF. She used it once, and   
her pretty ruddy hair turned all blue. It made me sad to look at it, and I hope Irvine's   
hain't done the same." Ma Kinny wiped a small tear from her eye.  
  
"So…Irvine and Tari are brother and sister?" Zell said, trying hard to understand, that the   
two siblings had been separated soon before Tari's birth.  
  
"That's right. Tari used to tell me she wished she didn't have a brother. She just heard so   
much about Irvine becoming a great SeeD, she said she hated him. I just took it as a   
childish jealousy, but she said one day she'd kill him." Ma Kinney sighed. "She was so   
full of hate, none of the other children could abide her. She grew up so lonely."  
  
"Hm. So you have no idea where she is or what she's doing?" Zell asked, growing   
somewhat alarmed.  
  
"Where is she? Is she okay?" Ma Kinney asked, worried. Pap Kinney just sighed and   
looked away.  
  
"She's fine. But I fear Irvine is in trouble. They're both at Balamb Garden." Zell said,   
standing up from where he had sat down.  
  
"Balamb? Tari, starting a fight at BALAMB? Disgrace on the girl!" Pap Kinney spat out,   
very angry. "You tell her to come straight home, you hear?" He shook his finger at Zell.  
  
"I will." Zell grinned grimly. He had to hurry back.  
  
Climbing into Tandoku, he set off. 'I hope I'm not too late.' He thought, his mind full of   
worry.  
  
  
Irvine sat back and enjoyed the food he was being served. Quistis couldn't help but laugh   
every time Irvine said something even remotely stupid.  
  
Selphie's eyes sparkled. 'I wonder why Irvine is doing this?? He's so sweet.'  
  
Irvine put his arm around her and Selphie sighed. Irvine turned his head slightly and   
winked at Squall. Squall nodded and ushered everyone out of there.  
  
"Well…we're alone." Selphie sighed.  
  
"Yeah. Selph…." Irvine said her name softly, making her turn her face towards his.   
Selphie smiled at him in a questioning way.  
  
Irvine leaned forward, placing his mouth on hers. Selphie immediately parted her lips   
slightly, allowing him to slip his tongue inside her mouth.  
  
"Geez. I didn't know Selphie knew how to kiss like THAT!" Quistis giggled as she   
peeked through a hole in the door.  
  
"Lemme see." Rinoa butted the blonde out of the way. "Oooh. Is that what WE look like   
when WE do that, Squall?"  
  
Squall felt his face grow warm. Quistis sputtered with laughter and Rinoa acted innocent   
of anything. Turning back to the hole in the door, Rinoa wondered how long it would be   
before either of them needed to breathe.  
  
Rinoa watched as the two broke apart then resumed kissing again. She laughed lightly as   
Irvine's hand stole up Selphie's shirt and turned away when they stopped and Selphie   
stood up.  
  
"I've got to go to the ladies room, Irvine. I'll be back." Selphie made her way to the door,   
Rinoa scrambling to unlock it. Selphie came through the door, gave Rinoa and Quistis a   
knowing look and skipped away.  
  
Rinoa and Quistis burst into fits of giggles. They didn't see the door closing again,   
leaving Irvine out there by himself.  
  
Irvine breathed in the night air and listened to the faint sounds of birds flying by. This   
was the perfect place to take someone you loved.  
  
Irvine heard a rustling sound overhead. Turning, he could see nothing in the dim   
moonlight. Sitting back again, he closed his eyes.  
  
He didn't see the dark form leaping from above down onto him, hands spread and ready   
to strike.  
  
  
Quistis was relaxed from her laughter and wondering if someday she and Seifer might do   
exactly the same thing. She leaned against the door, wondering what he was doing right   
then when she heard Irvine making a few weird-choking noises, and then turned into   
several crashing sounds and a yelp.  
  
Quistis looked over at Squall with wide eyes then pushed open the door.  
  
The three teenagers look upon an interesting scene.  
  
Rinoa gasped when she saw who was pinned under Irvine.  
  
  
  
Zell banged on the steering mechanism several times. Something was going wrong with   
the Tandoku and it never acted this way. 'I bet some of those kids in that village took   
some parts to the Tandoku.' Zell thought, bitterly.  
  
Gently landing the small plane, Zell rested his arms on the steering device. He sighed and   
wondered how he'd ever get back in time to warn Irvine about his sister. He sat there, and   
the sun began setting and the shadows lengthened.  
  
He settled back in his seat, and decided to get some sleep. He had dozed off when he   
heard some one hissing at him.  
  
"You…you the stranger. Come here. Wake up." A hand shook him roughly and he   
started awake, his eyes wide, ready to fight anyone who was going to ambush him.  
  
A young man of about 25 was leaning over him, a longbow and arrow in his hand. Zell   
backed up against his sleeve, thinking about calling on Ifrit.  
  
"Shh… It's not safe for you to be here. You must come with me." The man held out his   
hand in an offering of friendship. Zell took it and he was helped out of his plane a little   
clumsily.  
  
"I'm Rakor. We heard you arrived in the village. And that you asked about Tari. We need   
to speak with you." The man said, walking away, assuming Zell would follow him.  
  
Zell did follow. "Who's 'We'?" He asked.  
  
"My friends. We are a group of hunters who live in the woods. I know that you are a   
SeeD." He said, turning so Zell could see him clearly.  
  
Rakor was a tall man, with several deep scars on his arms and face. His hair was long and   
light brown, and held in a ponytail much like Irvine's.   
  
"What do you know about Tari?" Zell caught up with the man and put a hand on his   
shoulder, stopping him.  
  
"It is not about the girl. It is about the demon." Rakor turned again and started walking,   
heading into the deep forest.  
  
"Demon?" Zell asked himself, thoroughly puzzled.  
  
  
"Tari?" Rinoa said, a little too loudly. Squall and Quistis looked at each other in shock.   
Tari and Irvine?! And on this date, too!  
  
"You move fast, Irvine, but in the wrong direction." Squall said, not joking at all. Tari   
was pinned down under Irvine, on her back, his knee between her legs, and his hand on   
her chest. She was wearing a black sweater and black shorts.  
  
'Shit.' Tari thought, leaning back on the pavement where she had tried to struggle her   
way from under the larger boy.  
  
"Irvine? What the he-??" Selphie made a well-timed entrance onto the scene. Irvine   
backed off of Tari very quickly. Looking down at at the girl on the ground with a   
thoroughly disgusted look on her face, he wondered what she was doing out there   
jumping on him when Selphie's voice entered his mind once more.  
  
"How could….how…how could you do something like that to me?? Irvine...I thought   
that you weren't….." Selphie stuttered, shocked out of her wits. She then narrowed her   
eyes at Irvine.  
  
Squall looked at Selphie and inwardly was glad this was happening to Irvine and not him.   
He had always known that Selphie wasn't the type to run off, tears doing the magical   
floating on the wind action.  
  
"I cannot believe you, Kinnaes. But you did it anyway. GO TO HELL!" Selphie's eyes   
seemed to turn red and she swiftly gave him a kick in the nether area. Irvine doubled over   
and groaned with pain.  
  
Tari had stood up and climbed up onto the railing. Snickering at how well her plan had   
turned out anyways, she spread her arms and fell off the edge.  
  
"SEE?! She did it again!!!" Squall pointed at where Tari stood.  
  
"I hope she died. I don't really care anyways." Selphie stalked out the door, muttering   
about putting a bomb in Irvine's room.  
  
"Um…Irvine? I really can't say anything for you here. I don't know why or where or   
what happened. Sorry. Let's go, Rin-rin." Squall took his girlfriend by the arm and led   
her away. Quistis gave Irvine a look and followed.  
  
Irvine was on his knees, staring at the ground. Lifting his face to the sky, he cried out her   
name. The name that was breaking his heart then and there.  
  
"SELPHIE!"  
  
  
~In the Forests~  
  
Zell sat around the campfire in the cave, the smoke being effectively drawn out of the   
cave, where several men sat, cleaning their guns and knifes, eating and talking. Zell   
sipped at a bowl of soup that was thick but good.  
  
"Well…we need to talk, Dincht." Rakor came over, two other men with him.  
  
"Okay. About what?" Zell asked, setting his bowl down for one of the dogs who also   
stayed in there to lick out of. Rakor stood to his right, and one of the men left.  
  
"This is Agon. He's the one who has done some research on this 'demon' Kinnaes'   
youngest child has possession of." Rakor looked at the fire, the golden glow making his   
eyes seem evil.  
  
"A demon? You mean, Rhapha, her GF?" Zell asked, suddenly wanting to know more.  
  
"Yes. Rhapha. She is a demon, and is looking for someone to take a permanent residence   
in. We're afraid that she has Tari as the one." Rakor crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Tari? How do you know Tari??" Zell was puzzled. ' Damn…this girl gets around fast!'   
he thought.  
  
"Her brother, before they took him to the SeeD orphanage, helped us find a rare white   
stag once. He had sharp eyes, and we taught him how to handle a gun at a very young   
age. We even helped that little girl too. We showed her how to use GF." Agon said,   
calmly poking the fire with a stick.  
  
"So….you're saying she learned GF when?" Zell asked, meaning to get Tari's history   
straight.  
  
"When she was 14. I showed her how to use a water GF named Cirus. It was a mistake.   
Her hair turned completely blue. Strange, but it showed her compatability with magic.   
She was always very good with magic." Rakor said. He sighed and turned to Zell.  
  
"Now this is the serious part. Rhapha was a woman once. A very proud, very powerful   
woman who lived during the Sorceress Wars. She died early on, but she knew that when   
she died, she had a spirit spell to fall back on. She could become a GF and take over a   
monster's or a person's body. Obviosly, Tari stumble upon a monster with Rhapha in it   
and took Rhapha. We fear that Rhapha might make Tari her permanent home." Rakor   
sighed again and fingered a jeweled necklace around his throat.  
  
"Well….would that be really bad? Was Rhapha really that evil?" Zell was somewhat   
skeptical about it. "Tari seemed pretty normal and very….." Zell groped for the word and   
got lost in thought.  
  
'Tari…isn't just normal. She's…she's beautiful and nice…and a whole lot better when   
she isn't possessed probably.' Zell felt himself grow warm when he thought of her in this   
way.  
  
"Very wonderful as a whole anyway, right, Dincht?" Rakor smiled grimly at the blonde   
boy. Zell grinned in a sheepish way back. 'Hell…I haven't even known her for a week!'   
He thought, rubbing a hand through his blonde hair.  
  
"She would make a great friend to stand by your side." Zell said, putting his hand in his   
pocket and feeling of the velvet box in there.   
  
"She would. But Rhapha lives on hatred and Tari hated any mention of her brother."   
Agon pointed out.  
  
"I know. Those people in that Village told me. Tari…Tari didn't have many friends, did   
she?" Zell asked, eyeing Rakor's necklace. There was something familiar about it.  
  
"No. Most of the children were afraid of her magic abilities. Tari was a very lonely   
child." Rakor said, fingering the necklace again.  
  
"Rakor….is that necklace in anyway connected to the Phoenix Egg?" Zell pulled the box   
out of his pocket and opened it, showing the two men.  
  
"That…where….did you get this?" Rakor gently took it into his hand, the ruby of the egg   
matching that of the pendant on Rakor's chain.  
  
Holding both of them up to the firelight, Zell could see the hollow where the Egg fitted   
into it, surrounded by more fiery little gems. Slipping the Egg gently in, Rakor and Zell   
watched as a flash of light filled the cave and when it settled and cleared away…..the   
pendant was whole.  
  
"The Phoenix pendant. The source of life restoring magic." Rakor half smiled to himself.   
Then handing it to Zell he said this:  
  
"Boy…take this. You will need it in the days to come. Who knows….maybe someone   
you love will take a turn for the worse or even yet….to die. Do all you can to help Tari.   
For the only way to get rid of Rhapha, is to have Tari die. Rhapha can't live without a   
host. We…we know." Rakor smiled faintly and Zell watched in amazement as everything   
disappeared, like a fading mist in the sunshine.  
  
The cave was empty except for Zell and the red pendant.  
  
"I'd better go." Zell turned and left, still kind of spooked by what he had seen.  
  
When he fired up the Tandoku….it worked perfectly.  
  
  
"Hey….Elph-chan. Wait up." Rinoa said, softly to the girl. Selphie slowed down in the   
long hall to the training center.  
  
"Yeah, Rin-chan??" Selphie asked, her demeanor soft on the outside, but seemingly very   
hard on the inside.  
  
"Want some company?" Rinoa offered cautiously. Selphie seemed glad somewhat that   
Rinoa had asked.  
  
"Sure. I was just going to sit down and think for a while. They said that they put up most   
of the youma today." Selphie's eyes hid the pain she felt, and the anger showed through.   
Rinoa felt her own heart being assaulted by the pain that Selphie felt.  
  
"Okay. Squall said you might want some company." Rinoa ventured, dreading to bring   
Irvine's name into the conversation.  
  
"Well, I'm through with men for now. I knew I couldn't trust one, especially that Irvine   
Kinnaes." Selphie said bitterly, going thought the iron doors, Rinoa not far behind.  
  
Rinoa furrowed her brow. "I didn't think you would want to talk about him. Why do you   
think he did it?"  
  
"I don't know. I've heard he's always had a reputation. And not a good one either."   
Selphie punched one of the trees in the artificial jungle, making it quiver slightly.  
  
"But…did you see that look on his face? I think maybe it wasn't his fault." Rinoa said,   
speaking what had really been bothering her. Squall had thought the same thing.  
  
"Tari is a friend. Not anymore, not when she and he did that to me." Selphie sat on one of   
the fallen logs and sighed. "I thought maybe…maybe I'd really fallen in love with Irvine.   
I'd felt so….so different around him than any other guy."  
  
"Kinda like Squall. I think this all might be Tari's fault." Rinoa frowned when she   
thought of the girl. "I always thought she was a little weird anyways."  
  
Selphie nodded slightly and the two got up and continued walking down the path to the   
center of the training grounds.  
  
Rinoa was thinking and was lost in her thoughts when she heard the music. Selphie stood,   
her cheeks growing red at the sound of the voice and the guitar.  
  
'No matter how hard I try….  
Even If I stand up and touch the sky  
It's falling down on me  
And the pain stings my eyes  
And even if I take the time to cry  
It makes no sense to me….'  
  
The last few notes died away and then laughter filled the air around them. It was as if the   
singer had retained it's sanity for only a few moments.  
  
Then there was a roar and that laughter again. Rinoa ran ahead and found herself facing a   
giant T-rexaur. Tari stood next to it, grinning, her eyes glowing that inhuman green color   
again.  
  
"Have fun." Tari said, laughing again. She phased out of sight.  
  
"OH CRAP!" Selphie whipped out her nunchuku. It was her lowest grade one, for she   
hadn't prepared for an attack. 'Tari does have something to do with this…' Selphie   
thought, before she and Rinoa launched into attacking the ugly creature.  
  
  
Zell jumped out of the Tandoku, and rushed up the walkway to the Garden. Something   
was going on. It was the second night since he'd left and he'd tried to hurry back.   
Wearing the red and gold medallion around his neck, Zell felt something had happened   
while he was away.  
  
Walking in and seeing SeeDs running around like crazy and a group of people he   
recognized as his close friends heading to the Infirmary in a close group.  
  
Putting on the speed, he rushed towards the group. Finding that Selphie and Rinoa were   
missing, he stopped Squall.  
  
"Yo, man…what's wrong? What happened??" Zell's hand on Squall's shoulder brought   
the dark haired boy to a stop. Squall's eyes seemed filled with pain.  
  
"A T-rexaur….attacked Rinoa and Selphie….they're hurt pretty bad." Squall said,   
looking the blonde boy in the eyes. Zell couldn't fathom the pain that came from   
worrying over someone. Squall turned from his friend to Irvine, who looked just plain   
sick.  
  
"I wasn't there…to help her. She wouldn't let me near her…" Irvine talked in radom   
sentences to himself, his eyes void of emotion but his fists clenched tightly, his knuckles   
white.  
  
"He was caught with Tari yesterday night. When they were having their dinner. Irvine   
and Selphie. We don't know why, but we suspect Tari…." Zell gave Squall a sign for   
silence, Squall looking somewhat surprised at his interruption.  
  
"I have to tell you and you alone about what it is with Tari. After we check on the girls."   
Zell said, and let the others lead the way into the Infirmary before he turned and spotted a   
figure on the second floor railing.   
  
It was Tari.   
  
And she was grinning at him.  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay…That was done. Sorry to leave ya hanging but I got Gundam Wing and   
Zelda and Rayearth fanfiction to work on too! Ja! Tsutae Kouken  



	5. Part Five

Twisted Destinies: Part Five  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
  
"Selphie…." Irvine whispered her name as he sat in the hard little chair next to the white   
hospital bed. Selphie's face was pale and her hair lay against the pillow in little waves.  
  
Squall entered the room, followed by Zell. Zell's eyes widened in shock. There were   
several deep bite marks on her shoulder and more on her arm. The white bandages on her   
body were slightly red with the slowly stopping blood flow.  
  
"So they were attacked by a T-rexaur?" Zell asked, knowing instantly who had done this.  
  
"Yeah. All the youma were supposed to be put up today. It just doesn't make sense."   
Squall shook his head. Zell slowly nodded, then motioned for Squall to come with him.  
  
The two boys walked in silence to Zell's dorm room, where Zell shut and locked the door   
behind him.  
  
Zell leaned against the door as Squall sat down in on of the chairs in the room. He   
clenched the Phoenix medallion in his hand and began to tell Squall what he had found   
out about Tari.  
  
About half an hour later, Zell finished and Squall put his hand to his forehead and   
thought for a long time.  
  
Zell felt the silence as defening as a loud crowd cheering.  
  
When Squall finally spoke, it surpised Zell at what he said.  
  
"We can't tell anyone this, not even Cid or Irvine."  
  
Zell protested, "But we have to! Some one could be hurt!"  
  
"We have no choice. If Tari really is what you say she is, then if she or rather Rhapha   
knew that we know…we'll be in serious trouble." Squall hated making decisions like   
this.  
  
"You….can't be serious." Zell was stunned.  
  
"If she knew that everyone thought she was taken over by a demon and trying to kill   
Irvine then the whole Garden would be in danger if all is as you say!" Squall said angrily,   
trying to keep calm. First Rinoa, and now this.  
  
"Then what do we do." Zell said, crossing his arms over the medallion.  
  
"We watch and wait. It just might be she's insane and not possessed." Squall said,   
spotting the medallion. "Let me see that medallion you mentioned." Squall held out his   
hand.  
  
"I don't think she's insane, Squall. She wouldn't have given me this if she was." Zell   
handed the red and gold disk on a chain to Squall.  
  
Squall looked over the beautiful magic item, noting the brightness of the gems and the   
placements of golden scrolled indentions. It seemed to radiate life in his palm. There was   
nothing about it that made him doubt it's powers.  
  
"She only gave you one of the parts to this medallion. She must have gotten it from   
Rakor." Squall commented. "Rakor had the other part. You put them together…and   
boom! You got instant life magic."  
  
"I still think Rhapha is something everyone should know about." Zell said, pressing the   
matter again.  
  
"We must only watch, Zell. If Rakor was right, like I said, we should only watch and not   
endanger any lives." Squall handed the medallion back to Zell. "See if you can get this to   
work. We could use it on Rinoa…and Selphie." Squall felt somewhat stupid for asking   
Zell to use an item he hardly knew anything about on his girlfriend, but he was desperate   
to see her smiling face again.  
  
"I'll try. Just watch out for Irvine, will ya? I'd hate to lose a good friend." Zell unlocked   
his door and let Squall out. Zell looked up and down the hall, making sure no one had   
listened in on the conversation.  
  
Zell put the medallion around his neck and inside his shirt and headed towards the   
elevator, wondering if he could make the medallion work.  
  
  
Squall sat quietly next to Quistis in the waiting room outside of the infirmary. Quistis   
looked ready to fall asleep in her chair.  
  
Moments later, flashes of red came from the room where Rinoa was staying. Squall   
looked up in shock and heard Zell cussing.  
  
"HOLY SHIT!"  
  
Squall raced towards the door, and was greeted with a startling scene. Zell was holding   
the medallion in the palm of his hand, something like lightning flashing out of it and   
going to Rinoa's body.  
  
"NO! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Squall yelled when Rinoa's body began twitching and   
convulsing like she was having a seazure.  
  
The red lightning flashed a few more times and all was still.  
  
Zell looked at the medallion in his hand with wide eyes. It was calm and not vibrating   
anymore.  
  
Squall was staring at Rinoa, who lay as still as the medallion.  
  
Rinoa opened her eyes.  
  
  
In the Library, Seifer was trying to find a book for his next test. Near him was that Tari   
girl he had heard about, who was writing down notes from a book she was looking in.  
  
As Tari wrote down some facts for her next exam paper as she sat down at a small table   
desk there, she felt something go funny in her heart. 'Probably Rhapha returning from   
God-knows-where…' She thought sarcastically.  
  
Then a searing pain pierced her chest. Crying out, she covered her heart, where a small   
circle of red light could be seen through her shirt. Tari's eyes widened and she knew that   
someone was using the Phoenix powers.  
  
Seifer heard her cry and dropped his book and ran to see what was wrong. Pain etched   
her features and her hand clutched at her shirt, directly over her heart. Her eyes were   
wide with fear.  
  
"God….no…" Tari's eyes closed and she slipped into the realm of unconsiousness.  
  
Seifer saw her hand slip away from her shirt and caught sight of a red light before it faded   
quickly. He left her there and ran away. He didn't want anyone to think he'd done it. But   
before he'd gone far, he made sure someone had seen her and tried to wake her.  
  
Seifer needed to tell someone. And that someone was Quistis.  
  
  
Irvine looked up when he heard Squall shouting. He stood up and walked slowly into   
where Rinoa was, leaving his Selphie's side.  
  
When he entered the room, all he saw was Zell's grinning face, and Rinoa and Squall   
kissing with all they had. Irvine's jaw dropped.  
  
"Rin-rinoa?" Irvine stuttered. Rinoa and Squall broke apart, both smiling. Rinoa gave a   
little wave to Irvine before Squall started kissing her again.  
  
"C'mon. Let's go see if this'll work for Selphie." Zell tugged on Irvine's sleeve as he   
passed him going out the door. Irvine stared for a little bit before the suggestion hit him   
like a hammer.  
  
"WAIT!" Irvine ran into Selphie's room where he saw Zell standing with the medallion,   
his head bowed, as if he was praying.  
  
"What are you doing?" Irvine asked.  
  
Zell held up his hand for silence.  
  
A few minutes later, the same red light of earlier, came from the egg shaped stone in the   
center of the medallion.  
  
Irvine shielded his eyes.  
  
When the light faded, Irvine looked to where Selphie lay. She stirred under the white   
blankets, her face still pale. But when she opened her eyes, he was quick to be at her side.  
  
Selphie's green eyes focused slightly on his face. She smiled slightly then frowned.  
  
Irvine took her hand in his and smiled, a few tears of relief coming to his eyes.  
  
Selphie sat up.  
  
Irvine grinned as she turned towards him.  
  
Selphie drew her hand back.  
  
And slapped him as hard as she could.  
  
Zell dropped the medallion.  
  
  
Nida watched as Tari opened her eyes again. He had taken her to her dorm room, where   
she had asked to be taken. She was sitting in a chair and she had her eyes closed.   
  
Her eyes opened and widened in pain once again. Tari felt her heart burning with a fire   
that she couldn't understand. She felt Rhapha stirring within her, outraged and surprised   
at this painful invasion to her host.  
  
Nida watched as a circle of red light appeared over Tari's heart. Nida's brown eyes   
widened as she cried out in pain.  
  
She fell out of her chair onto her hands and knees. Gasping for breath, she clutched her   
chest in pain before collapsing once again into the warmth of unconciousness.  
  
Nida heard her whisper to herself before he left.  
  
"Why…why me?"  
  
Nida had to tell Squall.  
  
  
Irvine stood in the center of his room, fists clenched, anger boiling inside of him.  
  
The NERVE of that girl….running to Zell….  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Irvine looked shocked, a clear red mark on his face. Selphie had two bright spots of color   
on her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled wildly as if with fever.  
  
"Whoa…Selph…take it easy!!" Zell said, backing away, the medallion's chain swinging   
as he stepped back.  
  
"Take me…away from him!" Selphie got out of the bed and rushed over to Zell. Zell   
looked thoroughly surprised and disturbed. Selphie tucked her arms around him and   
layed her head agaist his chest.  
  
Zell was purely dumbfounded and he didn't like the way Irvine was glaring at him, angry   
and lost at the same time.  
  
Selphie nudged him and they went out of the door, Zell looking apologetically at Irvine.  
  
Irvine stood in the middle of the room, this scene too much like the one the night before.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
Irvine's lip curled in disgust. "If she wants to play that way then fine. I can play that   
game too."  
  
Irvine stalked out of his room, deciding to go to Library.  
  
  
Seifer and Quistis walked under the trees in the quad, the only couple there. The dappled   
sunlight fell on Seifer's jacketed shoulders, Quistis admiring the tall man.  
  
"So, she just started acting funny. That girl is mega-weird." Seifer sighed, not noticing   
the way Quistis looked at him. "She was in pain…but I felt…." Seifer hesitated and   
looked around.  
  
Quistis' eyes filled with a happy light. He was going to tell her something he'd never told   
anybody before. "Go ahead. No one will hear you and I won't tell!" Quistis managed a   
light laugh.  
  
Seifer's troubled look faded somewhat and then he leaned towards her in a confidential   
manner.  
  
Quistis felt her heart flutter.  
  
"I felt…I was afraid of her……"  
  
She was shocked. "How? She's such a….a……a gentle girl." Quistis struggled to find   
words to say without lying.  
  
"I know. I don't know if it's her…exactly…..just something about her…something in   
her……I was scared, Quistis. I'd never been scared of someone like that before." Seifer   
shook his head and sat down on one of the short stone walls that surrounded the little sets   
of trees.  
  
Quistis knelt beside him, making him look in her eyes. Blue met blue in an intense gaze.  
  
"Everyone feels afraid at some point in their lives." Quistis said, putting her hand on his   
knee. Seifer smiled fondly at her.  
  
"I know. I must be over-reacting. I'm sure I was just worried someone would think I'd   
have hurt her." Seifer placed his hand gently over her and smiled that smile that was for   
her alone, but she got to see so rarely.   
  
Quistis smiled up at him.  
  
She felt happiest when she was with him, even when he was troubled.  
  
  
Nida quickly explained what he had seen the next time he saw Squall, which was later   
that day. Squall frowned with thought when he heard the part about the red light.  
  
"So what do you think?" Nida asked, running a hand through his brown hair.  
  
"I think it's okay, Nida. We've checked her medical records and she's been sick at   
certain points in her life." Squall said, frowning as he lied to Nida.  
  
"What about that red light?? That was the strangest thing. And then she said 'Why me?'.   
I don't get it." Nida's brow was furrowed in thought. Nothing was making sense to the   
young SeeD.  
  
"I'm sure that when you saw this 'red light' you were just seeing things, Nida-san. I'm   
sure Tari's fine." Squall smiled mildly, the light not reaching his eyes. Nida nodded and   
gave a small Chinese bow and the exited Squall's room.  
  
Squall leaned against the desk, thinking. Everything was seeming like a thoroughly   
complex yet simple puzzle. Tari was doing things, but was it really her? Or a demonesqe   
presense? Squall decided to get some sleep when Rinoa came rushing in.  
  
"I saw!! I saw him!!" Rinoa babbled excitedly, sitting down next to Squall. Squall smiled   
a smile that reached his eyes this time as he tried to shush the girl that meant everything   
to him.  
  
"What did you see?" He asked, calming her some.  
  
"I saw Irvine and Sadie!!" Rinoa finally got out, her fair face flushed. Squall just stared at   
her. His life was now just a series of shocks, one after another.  
  
"What?" He managed to say.  
  
"Squall, Irvine and Sadie were kissing! And in front of Selphie too!!" Rinoa's eyes filled   
with tears. "I couldn't bare the look on Selphie's face! She looked like a stone statue! I   
hate Irvine! I hate him! I HATE HIM!!" Rinoa said, a defiant look on her face, as if to   
say that Squall had told her otherwise.  
  
"Shhh! It'll all work out! Rin-rin…please calm down…" Rinoa felt somewhat calmed   
just by him calling her his pet name for her. She buried her face in his jacket and shed a   
few more tears.  
  
Squall closed his own eyes, and tried to get away from the problems that surrounded him.  
  
All they had to do was watch and wait.  
  
************************************************************************   
  
In the weeks that followed, Selphie insisted on hanging with Zell, much to his   
discomfort. Irvine continued to pursue many girls, often right in front of Selphie.  
  
Squall kept an eye on everyone, including Tari. But the girl seemed sedated now that she   
had created what seemed like mass mayhem inside the group of friends.  
  
But during those two months that followed Irvine and Selphie's fight, several weird   
things happened that made Zell and Squall very uneasy.  
  
First, Headmaster Cid found all his files had been shifted through, but nothing missing.  
  
Second, several large bookcases in the Library had been knocked over, the books spilling   
everywhere.  
  
Third, several monsters had been set loose in the garden.   
  
Fourth, many text papers for the junior classmen had been missing for more than a week   
before turning up in the cafeteria freezer.  
  
Zell felt he knew Tari was doing it, only she had very solid alibis every time it happened.   
So this was really puzzling him and Selphie hanging all over him like a love-sick bird   
was really getting annoying.  
  
On a particularly clear night, a few months after Tari had arrived, Zell couldn't sleep. He   
got out of his bed and dressed in black, feeling like a spy for some reason. He picked up   
the glittering gold and red medallion from his desk and put it around his neck. He never   
felt prepared for battle unless he had it with him.  
  
He hadn't had to use it except for the time he had healed Rinoa and Selphie with it. It was   
strange, for he had only prayed and believed it would work and it did. He was still very   
grateful for the magic item.  
  
Walking through the quiet halls of the Garden, Zell felt a strangely calm peace, as if   
everything from the past months was obsolete. Sighing and staring into one of the water   
fountains near the girls' dormitory, he watched the moonlight shimmer across the water.  
  
Then he heard the soft crying sounds. Thinking it was Selphie, Zell tried to hide his anger   
at her foolishness for clinging to him. He wasn't a Don Juan. Irvine was. He turned and   
was about to say something when he noticed Tari running across the dorm-room hallway,   
towards the center of the Garden.  
  
Zell was shocked, yet not too badly, for he felt something was wrong with her anyways.   
Keeping to the shadows, he followed her and found her going down into the abandoned   
basement.  
  
Slipping into the elevator and going down, he watched her white figure slip amongst the   
large pieces of machinery. Following her, he had a vantage point where he could look   
down on her from above.  
  
He watched as she approached a table, with many small bottles on it.   
  
'That wasn't here when we fought the Norg….wonder what it is and what she is going to   
do with it?' Zell thought to himself as Tari reached for one of the bottles on the table.  
  
She shook it hard and then uncorked it and drank it.  
  
Zell didn't notice anything different until there seemed to be a greenish glow eminating   
from Tari. His eyes widened as a person seemed to step out of Tari's body. This woman   
made Zell go cold inside.  
  
She was taller than Tari and had the longest green hair that Zell had ever seen. Her skin   
was the golden brownish of an almond, and there were violet and red tattoos in odd   
shapes all over her body. Two small horns of a purple color came out of her head and her   
green hair was pulled into a few braided loops. The rest of the green hair fell over the   
body like clothing, showing skin in places here and there.  
  
The woman turned to Tari, who looked paler than ever and seemed to pat the girl on the   
head. Tari collapsed. The woman gave an evil laugh and then left the room, disappearing   
into thin air.  
  
Zell knew who was doing the vandalizing now.  
  
Rushing down the small steps and the little ladder, Zell reached Tari's side quickly.   
Gently taking her white wrist in his hand, he checked for a pulse. Slow, but it was there.  
  
Zell lifted his medallion and began to pray over it, asking the Phoenix for help in healing   
her.   
  
Nothing happened.  
  
At first.  
  
Zell looked down at the medallion as if amazed that it didn't work then prayed again.   
What he didn't notice was the small red light flickering over Tari's heart.  
  
He was watching the egg on the medallion as it began to light up and shimmer with great   
magnetude. He felt the disk vibrating in his hand and saw the beams of light and smiled   
with satisfaction.  
  
He turned to watch and see if the beams were healing Tari, but his jaw and the medallion   
dropped.  
  
Tari was floating in mid air, the beams of red surrounding her, and one penetrating her   
right through her heart.  
  
  
Irvine lay in his bed, feeling guilty as he did every night for every thing he did every day   
to make Selphie jealous. He was so sick of other girls. None of the others seemed to have   
the particualar quality he loved in a girl. He sighed turned over in his bed and thought   
about Selphie.  
  
Selphie, of bright hair and eyes, smiling and laughing. Always happy. To see him.   
Loving him, as he had hoped. Loving her, as he did.  
  
Nothing made sense. They were torn apart. And by what? Tari. Tari was the root of all of   
the Garden's problems. Once she was gone, all of their problems would be too, even if   
they were scarred for the rest of their lives.  
  
Irvine sat up in his bed, moonlight pouring over him and the tousled sheets. His long   
mahogany hair spread across his back and over the sheets around him. Getting up,   
grabbing a shirt and a ponytail holder, Irvine decided to head downstairs a little early.   
Way early.  
  
He wanted time to think. He wanted to win Selphie back.   
  
He also wanted revenge.   
  
Revenge for his broken heart.  
  
On the one who caused this whole mess.  
  
Tari.  
  
  
Zell watched in horror as Tari's body began to almost vibrate with the intense energy of   
the red light. Seconds later, she fell to the floor, just as pale as before. Zell dropped to his   
knees to her side and felt her pulse a second time. It was strong.  
  
So it had worked. But that was even weirder than before.   
  
He lifted her by her shoulders so she was sitting halfway upright, and supported her. He   
waited for her to open her eyes. As he sat there, he looked over at the table, wondering   
what the many bottles were used for.  
  
During his musings, Tari opened her eyes. Seeing Zell, she wondered what he was   
doing….when she realized she was in the basement again, just like all those other nights.   
She blinked a couple times, clearing her vision and wondering what she was doing in his   
arms anyways.  
  
Zell felt her shifting and turned his gaze quickly to her face. Her strangly colored eyes   
were looking at him curiously.  
  
"What…what are you doing...down here?" She asked him, making him crack a smile,   
even through all this strangeness.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing, you know." Zell chuckled lightly, the slight sound   
echoing through the vast room.  
  
"My head…I hate this." She muttered, sitting up. She sat up a little too quickly and her   
forehead bumped his.  
  
"Ow!" Zell leaned back and rubbed his forehead and pretended to be really hurt. He   
didn't want her to think he'd followed her on purpose.  
  
Tari rubbed her own forehead and then asked him another question. "Did you follow me?   
Why? What do you want from me?"   
  
"Whoa! Let me see if I can remember all that right." Zell thought for a minute,   
fabricating an excuse very quickly.  
  
"I couldn't sleep…so I went for a walk and saw you. So…I followed. I just wondered   
why someone else was awake at this time." He was partially telling the truth, leaving out   
the part where he had a strange premonition.  
  
"Oh…but I suppose you're wondering why I'm down here then." She sighed and pulled   
her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.  
  
"An explination for all of your behavior would be nice." Zell said, coming to the point.  
  
"Allright…I'll do my best…" She hestitated. Zell nodded and Tari continued. "I come   
down here…almost every night…to let Rhapha out."  
  
Zell almost fell over. She was letting her GF loose? Then he remembered what Rakor had   
said about it being a demon. That was worse!  
  
"It's kind of a 'Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' concept. I drink this stuff she tells me to make,   
and poof! I'm free of her for a few hours. Those hours seem to go by slowly though. I   
don't talk to anyone, everyone is asleep." Tari sighed and then looked Zell in the eyes for   
the first time.  
  
"You….you're not…afraid of me, are you?"   
  
"No…I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of that thing you call Rhapha." Zell answered   
honestly.  
  
"So….so am I." Tari began crying softly, without any warning. Zell almost had a heart   
attack when she leaned against him.  
  
Very uncomfortably, he put his arm around her. Tari's hair, spilling over his arm and   
shoulder, smelled like a strange vanilla musk, being so close to her.   
  
'This so isn't my thing….' Zell thought, feeling strangely warm.  
  
They sat that way for quite a while.  
  
  
Irvine cursed himself. Tari wasn't in her room.   
  
He'd opened the door quietly and peered in, hoping she'd be in there.  
  
Empty.   
  
The faint light of the moon and stars cast shadows around the room, but it was clear   
enough to see that she wasn't in her bed.  
  
His hand tightened against the sharp shining curve of steel in his hand. He'd have to do   
this another night.  
  
  
A/N: Aww! I heard someone say they hated Tari! That made me so sad cause it took me a   
LONG time to draw her! At my website, there are some pictures of her in the FF8   
section! Visit www.geocities.com/fanartemporium/  
  
R&R plz!!!  



	6. Part Six

  
Twisted Destinies: Part Six  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
~*~  
  
Selphie heard someone walking past her door. She set down her book, which she had   
been reading to fall asleep.   
  
Peeking out the door, she saw Irvine walking past, a large knife in his hand. Her eyes   
widened and she wondered what he was going to do with it.  
  
"Irvine!" She hissed, forgetting she was mad at him at the shock of seeing him walking   
around with a knife in the middle of the night.  
  
Irvine turned on his heel, putting the knife between him and Selphie.   
  
"Irvine?!" Selphie squeaked, the door flying open. Irvine lowered his knife when he saw   
who it was.  
  
"You're actually talking to me?" Irvine said bitterly.  
  
"Well, yeah, I mean, you're walking around with that knife..." Selphie came out of her   
room, somewhat glad to see him. She knew her heart would break again if he went away   
without saying something to her.  
  
"I was...I was going...I..." Irvine was caught off guard. He didn't want to say what he   
was really going to do.  
  
"What were you going to do?" Selphie asked, coming closer to him, and gently taking the   
knife out of his hand, he was too shocked at her being this close to move.  
  
"I was...I was going to go cut...Tari's hair." Irvine said sheepishly. He had thought Tari   
would learn her lesson if she lost her hair mysteriously in the middle of the night.  
  
"What for?! I thought you...and her...that night..." Selphie was more than confused, she   
was just plain lost. Nothing in these past few months really made any sense to her.  
  
"It wasn't my fault. She jumped me. I never would hurt you, Selphie. I don't like Tari   
and I wanted revenge for what she did..." Irvine knew he sounded stupid and he felt   
stupid too. Now that he actually said it out loud, it hardly seemed like an excuse to chop   
off her hair.  
  
"Oh...then I..." Selphie's eyes widened and she dropped the knife on the floor. "I've   
made a horrible mistake." Her green eyes filled with tears and she began to cry. 'Why am   
I crying? He makes an excuse and I bawl like a baby! Get it together, Selphie!!' She   
thought fiercly.  
  
Irvine reached for her, and she came to him. Holding her in his arms, Irvine kissed the   
shining light brown hair.   
  
Selphie turned her face towards him, wet with tears.  
  
"Elph-chan...I think...I think I love you." Irvine said simply. Selphie smiled at him, her   
eyes shining.  
  
Irvine leaned down and kissed her.  
  
Selphie smiled and felt like rockets and firecrackers would be perfect right about then. Or   
a good sized explosion.  
  
That's when they heard it.  
  
**BOOM**  
  
Selphie's wanted explosion happened.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Squall was unceremoniously jerked out of his sleep. He sat up in bed, wondering what he   
had heard that would wake him out of so sound a sleep.  
  
Rinoa's voice came to him across the room. "Squall, what was that explosion?"   
  
"I don't know...it came from outside the Garden. Maybe the parking lot area. I'm going   
to go check it out." Squall threw his jacket on over his bare chest and grabbed his   
gunblade.  
  
Rinoa watched him leave, leather jacket and black sweatpants. She quickly got up and   
followed him, in her blue and white pajamas. She saw several SeeD members rushing   
down the hall, but the most noticeable was the form of Squall hurrying down the hall.  
  
She followed him, down to the first floor, with a group of SeeDs, including Irvine,   
Quistis, and Selphie. She noticed that Irvine was right by Selphie's side, and Selphie was   
hanging on his arm.   
  
Rinoa was glad about that, but she hoped no one was hurt from the explosion they heard.  
  
"Rin! Where's Zell? He's the only one missing! Something awful must have happened!"   
Selphie exclaimed to her, as Rinoa managed to get near enough to them to talk.  
  
"I know! But...I haven't seen Zell..." Rinoa looked around. The blonde martial artist was   
nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Now that I think about it...Tari isn't around either..." Irvine said, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"Do you think..." Quistis' mouth formed a round 'O'.  
  
"I don't know..." Irvine said, but his eyes held certainty.   
  
She had to have done it.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Zell tucked his arms around Tari when he heard the explosion. Tari cringed against him   
as the blast slightly rocked the room, being so close to the explosion, it being above them.   
Bits and pieces of the ceiling fell down in one of the corners, a few hitting the two   
clinging together.  
  
"What is it?" Tari said against his jacket.   
  
Zell lifted his voice over the little after-shocks of the blast, echoing the large room. "A   
bomb of some sort. I think."  
  
"Rhapha. She's at it again." Tari said, getting strangely still. Zell held her next to him,   
wondering why she didn't lean back.  
  
"Does she...show herself to others...?" He asked.  
  
Tari turned in his arms and looked up at him. "No...she's very careful not to let anyone   
see her. Why?" She looked puzzled.  
  
"You are coming with me." Zell began to stand up, pulling her up by the wrists and   
standing her on her feet.  
  
"What? But...but she'll be angry with me!" Tari's eyes were widened with fright. Gone   
was the confident and sure girl that had walked through the halls of Balamb Garden only   
the day before, carrying within her an evil emissary.  
  
"Not if you stay...around me...or someone else." Zell said, and began walking away,   
towards the ladder, dragging her after him.  
  
Tari felt his strength. She was amazed. Smaller and slighter than the other boys at   
Balamb, he was probably the most deceiving. His arms were corded steel to her. His   
grasp was like iron cuffs. She couldn't get away from him.  
  
'Maybe I can find out about the real Tari, without that demon thing.' Zell knew he was   
taking a chance in taking Tari away from Rhapha, and that bad things might happen. But   
he had to know...who she really was.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Squall looked over the hole in the ground where the car they had usually used to get to   
Balamb City had been. It had totally been destroyed.  
  
"I guess we should be very glad no one was hurt." Squall commented. The others nodded.  
  
"But...I don't see Zell anywhere." Irvine replied, bringing up the problem at hand,   
besides the explosion.  
  
"Or Tari either." Selphie pointed out.  
  
"And I'm hoping that they are together. That way, Zell could have kept her from causing   
this." Squall said, standing up from where he had been squatting by the hole.  
  
"Why do you want to think like that?" Irvine hissed so only the group of them could hear.   
"You know she had to do it. Why do you protect her?"  
  
"Because...I can't tell you." Squall said through his teeth. Why couldn't he just tell   
Irvine that she was his sister?  
  
"I will find out sometime. You can count on that." Irvine said before walking away with   
Selphie. Squall just put his hand to his forehead in his typical thinking fashion.  
  
"Everything is okay. Everyone please go back to bed. It was a false alarm and no one got   
hurt. Good Night." Headmaster Cid's voice came over the intercome.  
  
Everyone sighed with relief and headed back to their rooms.  
  
Rinoa and Squall walked in silence down the halls. Everyone had just rushed back to bed   
as fast as they could and now the dorm room hallways were empty.  
  
Squall looked so serious. Rinoa wondered why he was so tense all of a sudden and why   
he was starting to defend Tari. Everyone thought the girl was weird and they were sure   
that she had been the one to set the bomb in the Parking Lot.  
  
"Squall....hm?" Rinoa started to speak to her boyfriend, when she saw Zell, dragging   
Tari down the hall, just ahead of them.  
  
"What are they doing?" Rinoa asked, watching as Zell made a turn and stopped at his   
door, opened it and pulled Tari inside with him.  
  
Squall was just as shocked as well. 'What the hell could they be doing?' he wondered.  
  
"Let's go see." Squall began running down the hall, Rinoa not far behind. When they   
reached Zell's room, Squall pounded on the door.  
  
The door opened immediately, and strong arms grabbed the two by the wrists and pulled   
them in the room. Zell let them go, and slammed the door shut, and locked it.  
  
"What the hell is going on, Zell?" Rinoa demanded, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"I want you two to meet someone." Zell said, leaning against the door.  
  
Rinoa looked skeptical while Squall was curious.  
  
"Meet Tari Kinnaes...without Rhapha." Zell pointed to the girl who sat in the chair at his   
desk.  
  
"Tari...Kinnaes...?"   
  
Rinoa's eyes were as big as saucers.  
  
Squall just stared at Zell.  
  
"How did you get Rhapha to go away??" Squall asked.  
  
"She said it worked on a type of 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' concept. She drinks the   
potion, Rhapha leaves, and Tari passes out. I watched it and helped her. Now she's here   
and free of Rhapha." Zell said, trying to make the story as short as possible.  
  
"Rhapha? Who's Rhapha?" Rinoa asked, getting lost.  
  
"A demon. A demon who poses as a GF." Tari spoke up, for the first time since she got   
there.  
  
"A demon? What are you talking about?" Rinoa clearly didn't believe Tari. 'Okay...this   
girl is weirder than I thought...'  
  
"Rhapha is a demon who is inside Tari like the Sorceress is inside you." Squall said,   
putting it in a different view so Rinoa could understand.  
  
"Oh...so then...who's been doing all the vandalizing?" Riona wanted to know.  
  
"Rhapha. I don't know how to get rid of her!" Tari said, and began crying.  
  
"Why doesn't someone take her and then get rid of her?" Rinoa suggested.  
  
Zell shook his head. "Anyone that takes Rhapha gets turned into a female...that's why   
she took so easily to Tari. Tari was already a girl."  
  
"Oh...then how are we supposed to get rid of it?" Rinoa asked, furrowing her brow in   
thought.  
  
Squall had been silent most of this time, watching Tari as she cried.  
  
"Maybe...maybe we should wait until tomorrow night. I'm sure there will be something   
in the Library on how to destroy something like that. I'll look it up while Zell watches her   
to make sure Rhapha doesn't take control of her again." Squall said, it sounded like an   
order and not an idea.  
  
"That'll be great. I think it'll be a good idea. But we'll have to stay up the rest of the   
night." Zell said, looking over at the girl with the duo colored hair.  
  
"I don't think that will be a problem. It's been a long time since I've been free of that   
spirit." Tari said, looking shyly up at the three in the room.  
  
Squall felt better about the whole thing. He liked Tari, and he was glad that she was   
happy now. He only wanted Irvine to understand. That was where he'd have to go next.  
  
"Now...do you play cards?..." Zell settled down in a chair next to Tari as Squall and   
Rinoa exited the room.  
  
"I think they'll get along fine...I wonder..." Rinoa smiled to herself. Squall pinched her   
and looked at her in a mock stern manner. He knew what she was thinking.  
  
"They'd make a cute couple..."  
  
Squall laughed and the two of them headed for Irvine's room.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Irvine had seen that Selphie made it to her room, but he didn't want to leave her then. So   
he asked her if she would like to walk a bit.  
  
Selphie blushed and said yes.  
  
They walked around for a while and ended up in front of Irvine's room.  
  
"Well...Elph-chan..." Irvine took her in his arms. Selphie looked up at him and he   
kissed her for a second time that night.  
  
When they broke apart, panting for air, Irvine smiled down at her.  
  
"It's been a while...since we've done that." He commented.  
  
"You know those other girls you kissed...?" Selphie said, blushing slightly, wondering if   
she should continue her question.  
  
"No...Elphie, they weren't as good as you." Irvine laughed as he guessed what her   
question was. "I always imagined I was kissing you when I kissed them." He said,   
growing more serious.  
  
"Good. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Selphie said and leaned against him   
again. Irvine reached behind him and opened the door to his room. They both walked in,   
and Selphie headed to the small little kitchen area that was put into each of the SeeDs   
rooms.  
  
"I'll make some coffee. We have a lot to talk about." Selphie said, and she pulled out a   
filter for the coffee pot.  
  
Irvine smiled but inside he was somewhat disappointed. He didn't want to talk...he   
wanted to hold her, to touch her, to be with her. It was everything he ever wanted...to be   
with her always.  
  
The coffee was almost ready when Irvine heard a knock at the door.  
  
"Who is it?" He called, motioning at Selphie to be quiet.  
  
"It's Squall, and Rinoa."  
  
"Come in." Irvine said, and sighed. So much for getting anywhere tonight. Selphie   
giggled. She guessed at what he had been thinking and what he wanted to do.  
  
Squall opened the door and he and Rinoa came in. Squall immediately sat down in a chair   
and Rinoa did the same. Irvine and Selphie looked at each other. Obviously they were   
going to stay a while.  
  
"What's on your mind that's so urgent you had to come here in the middle of the night??"   
Irvine asked, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"It's a long story...but we have time..." Squall sighed and began to tell Irvine...  
  
...Everything...  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
"You are a very BAD card player, Ri-chan." Zell chuckled as Tari lost to him again in a   
game of German Rummy, while drinking several mugs of coffee.  
  
"I'm learning! I never did this kind of thing as a kid! I was learning how to...um...well I   
was learning how to use magic." She said, her eyes sparkling as she hesitated in her   
sentence and threw her hand of cards at him.  
  
"Yeah...you were learning how to kick butt so some day you could kick your brother's.   
Right?" Zell said, picking up the cards she had thrown at him.  
  
"Okay...you win again. I was training to get my brother. But now...I don't want to do   
that anymore. He's the only one I've got left." Tari looked away and sighed. "I feel like   
such a wuss for crying. I never do that."  
  
"I think it's okay to cry, when you feel the need to release your feelings." Zell said,   
awkwardly.  
  
"Well, I just hope Irvine will want to greet me...even after all that has happened and   
what I did,...I hope he still wants me as his sister." Tari sighed again.  
  
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Zell said, and shuffled the cards.  
  
"Let's play again."  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
~Far Away, Outside of Matron's Orphanage~  
  
In the night, a single light burned in the old house near the tall Lighthouse tower.   
Through a window, there could be seen a beautiful black haired woman, reading a book   
by a small lamp.  
  
A figure at the window grinned to itself and silently entered the house.  
  
Matron heard a swishing sound and looked up...  
  
...'Rhapha'...  
  
Matron froze at seeing the evil emissary.  
  
"It's been a long time, Edea..." The green haired woman hissed at the former sorceress.  
  
"What do you want??" Matron was afraid. Very afraid. Her old rival was supposed to be   
dead.  
  
"Well, don't you want to know what's going to happen to that loving husband of   
yours...? And to those lovely SeeDs...too bad, they'll be gone before you get there..."   
Rhapha said, in a cold voice, and began laughing insanely.  
  
And then she disappeared.  
  
Matron shuddered, feeling the coldness Rhapha left behind in the room. Then she stood   
up and ran to her room. Pulling out a traveling bag, she began packing for a journey...  
  
...To Balamb Garden...  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
A/N: There's this chapter! This took FOREVER to write so please please please review   
and no flames! I try and this is my first attempt at a chaptered fic so don't bite me! I'd   
like to thank those who have given me positive reviews and asked me to continue this!  
  
Ja!!  
  
R&R  



	7. Part Seven

Twisted Destinies: Part Seven  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
~*~  
  
Zell shook Tari's shoulder. It was now 6:00 am. And she looked ready to fall asleep.  
  
"Hey, hey. Don't go to sleep. You above everybody else knows what could happen to   
you." He said, gently, as she blinked sleepily. She looked up at him and yawned.  
  
"I'm so tired…" she shook her duo-colored hair. Zell shook her shoulder even harder.  
  
"You HAVE to stay awake. Besides, the best time for breakfast is early in the morning.   
So come on!" Zell gripped her wrists and hauled her out of her chair. She stumbled   
forward and into him.  
  
Zell caught her, and helped her stand up straight. He looked her in the eyes as he put his   
hands on her shoulders to steady her. "You are going to STAY awake. If I catch you   
trying to go to sleep…I'm going to put you into room with a T-rexaur and I think you'll   
be awake then." He threatened playfully.  
  
"Geez…I can barely stand up, much less fight…" Tari yawned again. Zell pulled on her   
arm and they managed to get to the door and into the hallway without incident.   
  
But in the elevator…  
  
"Damn…I feel like…I'm flying…" Tari leaned against the glass of the elevator. Zell   
looked alarmed.  
  
"Hey…! Don't go all crazy on me! I'll get you some really strong coffee once we get to   
the cafeteria…just hang on til then." Zell said, cracking a smile in spite of how strange   
she was acting.  
  
"Oh that's fine…did you just say we have to go to the cafeteria? That's miles away!" Tari   
whined. She looked like an irritable little kid, when she pouted and that was what she was   
doing now.  
  
Zell shrugged and grinned as the elevator door opened. Tari seemed to be more awake   
now that she was around people again. They walked to the cafeteria without her falling or   
doing something stupid.  
  
When they finally got there, and got their food and coffee, they went to sit down. But   
when they reached the area, Zell and Tari spotted Irvine and the others.  
  
Tari stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide as Irvine turned towards her.  
  
For a moment, everyone stopped and stared, no one moved. Everything…  
  
…absolutely still…  
  
Her eyes searched his face for any sign of emotion at all. She knew he knew.  
  
He watched as hope and fear seemed to mix in her features. He slowly smiled.  
  
Tari's eyes widened and she dropped the tray she was holding. And began to run towards   
Irvine.  
  
Selphie and the others watched as Irvine quickly began walking towards Tari. Her eyes   
filled with tears of happiness. He accepted his sister. He hadn't believed Squall and Rinoa   
at first, but she knew now, that he did know her as his sister.  
  
'I've…kept that hate so long…I can't believe it's now going away…' Tari thought as she   
neared her brother.  
  
'I've never had any family to call my own…I can't believe it's finally changed…' Irvine   
smile down at the girl who was now inches from him.  
  
Tari felt herself being wrapped in the strong arms of her brother, whom she knew little   
about, but she knew that she loved him in spite of what she had felt when she was   
younger.  
  
Irvine felt hot pricklings at his eyelids as he held his sister close to him for the first time.   
Running his hand over her thick, soft hair, he kissed her forehead lightly. "Welcome   
home,…sister."   
  
The words reached Tari's ears and she smiled as two tears fell down her cheeks. "Oh   
Irvine…I'm so happy…but I…I feel like crying…" She admitted sheepishly.  
  
"It's okay. Trust me, everything is going to be okay." Irvine said, laughing and hugging   
her close.  
  
Zell watched the two standing in the middle of the seating area in the cafeteria. He smiled   
but something in his heart twinged. After all night talking with Tari, he felt he knew her   
better than anyone ever did. He wanted to be the one holding her.  
  
'What the fuck am I thinking? I don't know anymore…' Zell shook his head almost   
imperceptibly. 'I don't know what I really want…'  
  
Squall grinned at Rinoa. Maybe things would work out okay now that everything was   
straightened out. Then something in his mind set off an alarm in his brain. 'Rhapha…'  
  
Rinoa saw the look on her boyfriends face and then it struck her. The demon was still at   
large. Who knew what it was after now?  
  
"I'm glad…" Irvine said against Tari's hair. Then he pulled back and turned and looked   
at Selphie. "Elphie, please meet my sister, Tari Kinnaes." He smiled and Selphie ran over   
to the two. Tari immediately pulled her into their embrace.  
  
Selphie really didn't know what to say then. Tari wasn't crying or laughing it was a   
mixture of both. When everyone calmed down, they all sat at a table, after cleaning up   
the mess from the dropped tray.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Later, after the others had left, Irvine and Selphie sat on a bench out by the Quad,   
watching Zell keep Tari occupied by playing 'tag' with her.  
  
"She's so much like you. Full of fun, laughter. It's a shame…you never knew her   
growing up." Selphie sighed, leaning against Irvine. Irvine grinned and put his hand in   
his pocket as he put his other arm around Selphie.  
  
"Yeah. She reminds me of you too. And she gets along well with Zell." Irvine smiled as   
he pulled something from his pocket.  
  
"They sure are funny together. Just thing Zell needed to keep himself occupied." Selphie   
laughed as Tari pushed Zell over a chair and as he tumbled over it and landed on the   
cement on his rear.  
  
"Elphie…look at me, please?" Irvine turned so that she was now sitting up and facing   
him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Selphie couldn't make out what was in his eyes. It was so unreadable.  
  
"When we broke up…I felt like I'd lost something very important in my life…" Irvine   
kept his left hand hidden in the fold of his coat. "I wanted to tell you…"  
  
"Yes?" Selphie's heart was racing. She was hoping…  
  
"I love you and I don't want to lose you again." Irvine pulled her into a tender kiss, and   
pressed something into her hand.  
  
"What…?" Selphie looked at the velvet box and her heart leapt with joy.  
  
"Will you…do me the honor of saying you will marry me?" Irvine said, gently lifting the   
lid of the box in her hand.   
  
There, in the velvet lined inside, was a platinum ring set with an emerald that rivaled the   
brilliant green of Selphie's eyes.   
  
Her eyes filled with tears until they shimmered like that same stone inside the box. She   
looked up at him.  
  
"I know it isn't much for showing how I love you, but I really care, and I'd be so proud if   
you would wear this ring…" Irvine didn't know what to say. This time, he couldn't read   
her face.  
  
"Irvine…" Selphie couldn't speak, but she gently took the ring out of the box and slipped   
onto her left hand ring finger.  
  
As she did so, for a second time that day, the world seemed to stop. He had had that ring   
for a long time, for it was his mother's wedding ring. He knew he'd have to give it away   
someday, and even if this wasn't the most romantic time or place, anything was special if   
Selphie would only say yes.  
  
Irvine pulled her into a long deep kiss.  
  
That's when they heard Tari and Zell shouting and laughing.  
  
"All RIGHT!"  
  
"GO-IRVINE!"  
  
"WHOO HOO!"  
  
"LET'S GET THAT HONEYMOON PLANNED!!"  
  
Tari and Zell had seen the whole thing.  
  
Irvine laughed and Selphie blushed and grinned.  
  
Picking up his bride-to-be in his arms Irvine began spinning her around the Quad.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Squall sat in Headmaster Cid's office. He just stared at the telegram that had come   
through.  
  
--AM COMING TO BALAMB stop TROUBLE HEADING YOUR WAY stop   
HOPING EVERYONE IS SAFE stop BE CAREFUL OF DEMONS stop MATRON—  
  
'Matron? How did SHE know?' Squall looked up at the headmaster. "What is the matter?   
What is this about a demon?"  
  
"I wish I knew what she was talking about. I didn't know of any demons in this Garden."   
Headmaster Cid shrugged and sat down behind his desk.  
  
"What…what do you know of a woman called 'Rhapha', sir?" Squall ventured, thinking   
now would be a good time to tell Headmaster Cid what had been going on amonst the   
students and SeeDs.  
  
"Where did you hear that name?!" Cid demanded, jumping up out of his seat, his eyes   
blazing.  
  
"There was a student with a GF of that name, sir." Squall said, surprised by the change in   
the older man at the mention of the name.  
  
"So Rhapha is here, in Balamb Garden? I wonder why I haven't heard of this…?" Cid   
stared at Squall for a few minutes then looked away. "You couldn't have told me right   
off, for you've never heard of her or was warned of her."  
  
"Who is…was she?" Squall said, wondering what words to use at a time like this.   
'Stupid…still messing up your words as usual.'  
  
"Rhapha was a very powerful sorceress in the time of the Sorceress Wars. She was   
destroyed easily for though her powers were strong, her body was weak. She had devoted   
her life to studying all she could about vampires, ghosts, GF, and afterlife. She   
discovered a spell that would turn a mortal into a GF after the mortal died. She used this   
spell on herself." Cid sighed.   
  
"What made her so dangerous? She sounds like an ordinary sorceress." Squall pressed,   
hoping to find out what it was he was up against.  
  
"She liked to use humans as expirements. She would lure men in, using a teqnique not   
unlike that of the Sirens of Ancient Greece on Earth. Using a melody or song, she'd lure   
men in to their deaths. But because she had such an obsession with men, when she   
became a GF, she was only suited for females. Somehow, her plan backfired a bit, and   
she was more of a cursed Demon instead of a GF." Cid sat back down in his chair and put   
his head in his hands.  
  
"Well, it was the new student, Tari that had brought her here, not knowing the full extent   
of Rhapha's powers. How would you get rid of such a thing?" Squall asked.  
  
"Tari, hmm? Well, I hate to tell you this, for her sake, for I've gotten to like her in spite   
of her quirks…" Cid paused for a moment and then resumed, "The only way to destroy a   
GF like that…would be to kill the host with the GF inside using the GF's own attack."  
  
"But…even if we were able to convince Tari to…to…to do that, how would we know   
Rhapha wouldn't find out and try to stop it by taking over Tari?" Squall said, furrowing   
his brow, not liking this one bit. Irvine wouldn't like it either.  
  
"Dr. Chiyuu knows some scientists in Esthbar who might be able to give her a potion,   
that lets a person be isolated from the GF, but still call on the powers, thus keeping the   
memory loss and other side effects nil." Cid suggested, hoping that Squall would go for   
it.  
  
"I think this is what we have to do. By the way, sir, we might have some problems from   
Irvine." Squall hesitated on going out the door.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"He just found out last night that…Tari's his sister."  
  
Headmaster Cid just shook his head in sorrow.  
  
There was nothing he could do.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Seifer smiled and Quistis cheered when they heard the news of Irvine and Selphie's   
engagement from Tari and Zell.   
  
"Looks like she's stuck to you like glue, chicken-wuss." Seifer pointed out to Zell,   
talking about Tari who was chatting with Quistis.  
  
"Don't call me that!! And besides, I have to take care of her! She'll get hurt if I don't!"   
Zell said, his cheeks turning red, even under his tattoo.  
  
"Sure, chicken-wuss. The little birdie and the chicken. Very cute." Seifer smirked as the   
younger boy blushed. Teasing Zell was so much fun. Exspecailly when it was true from   
the look on his face.  
  
"Will you quit it before I knock your face in?" Zell shouted. He still had a load of   
problems to work out with Seifer. The nickname was one of them.  
  
"Say please."  
  
Zell groaned. Why was this cock-sure self-assertive mofo always doing this to him?  
  
"Please." He growled low in this throat. That's when he noticed Tari and Quistis   
approaching.  
  
"What's wrong?" Quistis asked, looking from Seifer to Zell and back again. Then she   
noticed Zell glancing at Tari and his red cheeks. She hid a smile and stood next to Seifer.  
  
"Nothing at all…except Chicken-wuss here has a girlfriend." Seifer grinned down at her.  
  
"Let's just go, Tari." Zell took Tari's wrist in his hand and he dragged her off. She didn't   
say anything for her face was pale.  
  
"Yep. You can really see it when a guy falls for a girl." Seifer said, putting his arm   
around Quistis. It was now her turn to blush.  
  
'Did he…just mean what I think he meant??' She thought, enjoying the moment.  
  
"Come on…Let's go…we're big kids. Let's head to Balamb and get a drink, hmm?"   
Seifer said, kissing Quistis lightly on the cheek. Quistis nodded enthusiastically, and the   
two left.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
"Dr. Chiyuu? I'm sorry to interrupt, but-" Instantly Squall was hushed by the pink haired   
doctor.  
  
"I know what you want. I have it right here." Chiyuu handed a bottle to Squall. Squall   
took the fragile violet glass bottle in his hands.  
  
"Um…how did you…" Another wave of her hand and he shut up.  
  
"I'm physic. So I went ahead an rummaged up some of the stuff. It was in one of the   
drawers. We keep it just in case. Looks like this is a rare one." Chiyuu winked on of her   
blue eyes at the startled teen.  
  
"Um…thanks…" He stuttered, taken aback.  
  
"No need. Just get that freaky GF outta here!" Chiyuu lit a cigarette and blew a smoke   
ring at him.  
  
'I thought all doctors said smoking was bad for you?' Squall thought, thoroughly   
confused by this strange doctor. 'She's a punk-doctor.'  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
A/N: I know…very very short chapter but there are only one…maybe two chapters left to   
this fic. Thanks guys for all your reviews and everybody, I'm glad you did review cause   
It makes me feel like I just GOTTA get the chapters out of my wordpad and onto the   
FF.net!   
  
Ja!  
  
R&R!  



	8. Part Eight

Twisted Destinies: Part Eight  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Zell stood in front of Tari, facing Squall, his arms crossed.  
  
"Well, we don't know when that thing will come back. Why should we give up this   
precious bottle now?" Zell pointed out to Squall.  
  
"Where else can we keep her without having anyone to watch her night and day? She has   
to sleep sometime." Squall argued. Zell had been very stubborn about using the potion   
without knowing when Rhapha was coming back.  
  
Tari looked ashamed and suddenly angry.  
  
"Why should this whole place go through these troubles because of me? Give me the   
bottle and I'll leave! Just tell me how to use this stuff to get rid of that thing!!" Tari burst   
out, her cheeks red and her eyes seeming to flash fire in their colored depths.  
  
Zell looked calmly at her, not knowing how she would take the news of a suicide.  
  
"You have to kill the host of the GF with the GF in the host using the GF's attack."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Zell was taken aback at her quick answer.  
  
"You really thought that I wouldn't do it if it came to that? After all the trouble I've   
caused, I would've thought you'd be happy to get rid of me!!" Tari reached for the bottle,   
but Squall held it out of her reach.  
  
"Wait…how do we know when it comes back?" Squall asked, looking as if an idea had   
just hit him upside the head.  
  
Zell smacked his forehead with his palm in an exaggerated gesture. "What have I been   
trying to tell you for the last ten minutes?"  
  
Tari looked half confused and half mad. "Okay…what's the big idea?"  
  
"Zell, do you remember the isolation chambers that were put in here soon after Ultimecia   
was defeated? The ones we use now for protection and isolation?" Squall said, his arm   
still up in the air with the bottle in his hand.  
  
"Yeah…so?" Zell looked at him with a strange expression on his face, as if an idea was   
forming, but not quite caught onto.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Tari demanded, now completely perplexed.  
  
"We could set up a room in there. It's impervious to magic of any sort. Even GFs or   
spirits can enter it. Scheperas had done a good job on them, using his magic as a sorcerer   
to build it before he died." Squall mentioned a man who had helped build a part of the   
Garden soon after Ultimecia.  
  
"Damn, man…that's an AWESOME idea!" Zell said, his face lighting up with a grin.   
Tari just looked bewildered. Squall grinned as well.  
  
"Come on!" Zell grabbed Tari by the wrist and began dragging herself to Headmaster   
Cid's office.  
  
"What? Why me? Why now? Why this?" She protested, wondering where the argument   
of before had gone.  
  
"Why not?" Squall took her other wrist and with little difficulty, the two boys hauled her   
into the elevator.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Quistis opened her eyes. What she saw was the ceiling of a hotel room. What she felt was   
a major hangover. Where she was, she had no clue.  
  
That's when she heard a slight moan at her side.  
  
Turning her head, she could see Seifer's brownish blonde hair. She stifled a moan. This   
was not good.  
  
This and a hangover.  
  
What had she gotten herself into?  
  
Sitting up, she realized she was undressed…and in bed.  
  
"Oh my GOD! SEIFER!" Quistis pulled the pillow out from underneath Seifer's head   
and began hitting him with it.  
  
Seifer woke up with a groan and then realized Quistis was beating him over the head   
with…a pillow?  
  
"Dammit, Quisty, stoppit!!" He grumbled, sitting up. When he realized Quistis wasn't   
wearing anything, he just stared.   
  
"You PERVERTED ASSHOLE!" Quistis began crying.  
  
"Quisty, I didn't do it on purpose! We were both so drunk, we must've done this without   
knowing!!" Seifer moved over next to her and took her in his arms, pulling the sheet   
around her.  
  
Quistis felt his touch but didn't shirk away from it. For some reason, she didn't feel like   
she was mad at him for sleeping with her, she was mad because…she had missed the   
whole thing? She moved her left hand across her face, wiping away tears as she leaned   
against him. She felt something hard touch her face.  
  
  
"Seifer…what's this?" Quistis leaned back and looked at her hand. On her ringfinger was   
a golden ring.  
  
"A…ring?" Seifer was just as puzzled as she, and had about as bad a headache too.  
  
"We…didn't…did we?" Quistis looked at him.  
  
"I don't think so…"  
  
"We must have…or else…"  
  
"Oh my god…that means…"  
  
"Holy shit…"  
  
"You're my wife…"  
  
"Let's get some aspirin and talk about this…" Quistis pulled the sheet around her   
securely and stood up and got a glass of water from the sink while Seifer watched.  
  
"Seifer…this…is…" Quistis picked a piece of paper off of the sink as she brought the   
glass and the white tablets to the bed. Seifer too the paper in his hand and looked at it.  
  
A marriage licsence.  
  
Signed by him and Quistis.  
  
Seifer and Quistis Almasy.  
  
Seifer looked up at Quistis.  
  
Quistis gave him a tiny smile. "Well, now what?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You know…Seifer…I really don't mind…"  
  
"Are you still DRUNK OR WHAT?! What will everyone else say?!"   
  
"Shh. Irvine and Selphie are going to get married. Why not us?"  
  
"I didn't think you cared for me."  
  
"Now you're getting emotional. That's not the Seifer I know."  
  
"Do you care for me? Do you love me enough to marry me, Quisty?"  
  
"Seifer…do you love ME enough to stay with me?"  
  
"I asked you the question first."  
  
"All right. Seifer Almasy, I am your wife, I love you, I care for you and I want you to say   
you love me." Quistis' eyes shone with tears. It was something she had so wanted to say.  
  
"I…care…for you…Quisty. I love you. Stay with me…please?" Seifer looked very   
unsure of himself. He looked at her, his feelings actually showing in his eyes for once.  
  
"Always!" Quistis pounced on him, her headache forgotten and the glass of water spilling   
to the floor.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Irvine sat down on one of the chairs he had carried into the new room, a re-furnished   
isolation chamber. It would work all right…as long as a protector would stay with her,   
Cid said. 'Looks like it'll work.' He thought looking around at the room furnished with a   
partition and two beds to make two bedrooms.  
  
Zell sighed as he leaned against the door. "Why do I have to do this?"  
  
"Cause. You know her better. And I'm living with Elphie soon, so I can't stay with Tari.   
Squall has Rinoa and I don't think any of the other students here are to be trusted as you   
are." Irvine retorted.  
  
"But…this seems…like I'm violating her space." Zell protested again.  
  
"You need to stay with her 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I'm counting on you to   
protect my sister. If you let me down…I don't know if I can forgive myself. I'll relieve   
you for most of the day, and watch her myself, I suppose, if it makes you that   
uncomfortable to be with her." Irvine offered. Zell's face took on a look of relief.  
  
"Guys? We've got the last of her stuff. All she needs to do is move in and Zell, you had   
better go get packing." Rinoa said as she came in, carrying two boxes. Squall and Tari   
each had two as well.  
  
"Well…now what? Do you want me to unpack while you help him?" Tari suggested,   
looking a little more than flustered. She looked downright embarrassed.  
  
"Yeah. We'll lock you in here for right now as we all leave. Later, sis." Irvine hugged his   
sister and kissed her on her forehead. She hugged him back and turned to her boxes as   
they all left.  
  
Zell hung behind. "Later."  
  
"Zell?" Tari asked in a small voice.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I…want to thank you for all you've done for me. I know I've been a lot of trouble for   
you all, but you've really made me feel safe around here. Thank you." Tari's face turned   
red as she said this and then turned back to her boxes a second time so Zell couldn't see   
the red of her face.  
  
"You're welcome…Tari." Zell said these words quietly as he shut the door and put the   
key card in the slot, activating the lock and the shield. "Tari…"  
  
"Zell-chama…Thank you…" Tari felt a tear roll down her face as the door clicked shut   
and the hum of the shield was heard. She was alone again.  
  
Alone. The way she hated to be.  
  
Tari ran to one of the beds in the small room and flung herself down on it and cried   
herself to sleep.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
A/N: Short chapter, perverted, sorry, will do better, gotta go, bye. ~Tsutae~  
  
Ja ne~  
  
R&R  
Please no flames.  
  



	9. Part Nine

Twisted Destinies: Part Nine  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
"Squall, are you positive it won't come and possess me?" Rinoa asked him, her eyes wide   
as she prepared to go to sleep that night. The thought of the GF still roaming around   
made her frightened.  
  
"I'm sure. You aren't the original host. That's all that it can go to." Squall said, from his   
bed. He lay with his hands tucked behind his head and his eyes closed.   
  
Listening to Rinoa and her fears and having to comfort her.  
  
It was worth it, Squall smiled to himself.  
  
"Can…can I have some of that potion, Squall? I'm still afraid…that Rhapha will come."  
  
Squall smiled to himself again and rolled out of his bed. Reaching for his jacket, he   
pulled out the small vial. Staring at the violet bottle, he thought it over.  
  
Gently twisting the cap off of the bottle, he took the cap and poured a measure of the   
liquid into a glass next his bed. Handing it to Rinoa, with the bottle in the one hand, he   
turned when he heard a hissing all of a sudden.  
  
Rinoa clutched the glass in her hand, the liberal measure of the amber liquid sloshing in   
the glass.  
  
Squall's eyes searched the room, looking for the source of the hissing sound and found   
nothing to alleviate him of his fears. As he turned his hand hit the wall and the bottle, the   
precious bottle, filled with Tari's only hope, went flying.  
  
There was a crash and violet colored splinters flew everywhere. The liquid splashed onto   
the floor, completely destroying any chance for future use.  
  
"Squall…" Rinoa completely forgot about the glass in her hand.  
  
"I…didn't…mean…" Squall's eyes were wide with alarm. "Tari…"  
  
"She won't have a chance without that potion!" Rinoa looked on the verge of crying.  
  
"Wait! Rinoa, the glass!" Squall reached for the glass in her hand. Rinoa let go of it   
before he had a grip on it.  
  
For a second time, the sound of glass was heard crashing to the floor.   
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Zell sat straight up in his bed. Something was wrong. Looking around, his eyes adjusting   
to the dark, he saw Tari standing in the middle of their makeshift room.  
  
"Tari!" Zell hissed, throwing the blankets off of his bed and snapping on a light.  
  
"Zell…something awful has happened!" Tari's face was pale.  
  
"What?" Zell came up next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I don't know!" Tari looked up at him with scared eyes. Zell felt, for a split second, what   
had woken her up.  
  
"You're right. But we can't leave, or open the door, without the others here. You know   
that." Zell said, gently moving his hand from her shoulder to the soft duo colored hair and   
began to stroke it awkwardly, trying to sooth her.  
  
"I can't…" Tari started to say, biting her bottom lip. Then she shook her head and walked   
back to her bed, on her side of the parition, and silently crawled into it, leaving Zell   
standing alone.  
  
Sighing, he also headed back to bed.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Matron stepped off of the small plane at the edge of the Balamb Garden Front Gates. She   
shivered.  
  
There was a sense of foreboding in the air.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
A/N:  
  
Sorry, it's short. I had to make it so short so you could appreciate the next   
chapter…which is kinda short too but not so short but winding down to an end. Later, and   
thanks for all the emails I've gotten! I am so glad you like this but don't kill me for the   
short chapter!  
~Tsutae Kouken~  



	10. Part Ten

Twisted Destinies: Part Ten  
  
Authoress: Tsutae Kouken  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Headmaster Cid was awakened by one of the Garden Faculty.   
  
"Matron has arrived." The monotonous voice said to him. Quickly dressing, he headed   
for the Front Gates of the Garden.  
  
"Matron." He looked at the tall dark woman, his wife. She looked back at him, a slightly   
pained expression on her face.  
  
"Something is going to happen, Cid…" She said, softly to him. He put a hand on her   
shoulder and tried to smile.  
  
"It'll be all right, Matron."   
  
"There is much evil in that spirit, Cid. There will be much pain afterwards. For the young   
Saviors." Matron said, looking down. Cid frowned at this prediction.  
  
"Let's go inside. I'll get Squall. You will want to talk to him." Cid said, gently leading   
her towards the Garden.  
  
"Yes. I want to talk to the one with the Gunblade." She nodded and they went into the   
Garden, some of the staff members following.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Squall looked wide eyed at Rinoa. Her lower lip quivered slightly.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Rinoa asked, her heart pounding in her chest. Looking at the   
puddle on the floor with the bits of broken glass, she felt very young and silly for   
dropping the glass.  
  
"We'll have to see if Dr. Chiyuu has more of that potion. Tari won't be able to destroy   
Rhapha without it." Squall said, pulling on his jacket as he got out of his bed. Rinoa stood   
up also and began to get dressed.   
  
"Watch out for that glass." Squall said, gently, seeing the very troubled look on her face.   
Rinoa smiled a little bit at him.   
  
When both had finished putting on their jackets over their night clothes, Squall gently   
took Rinoa in his arms, for she looked pained.   
  
"Hey, it's okay. There's got to be more of that formula or potion or whatever it was   
around. Okay?" He said, stroking her hair, for she had buried her face in his jacket.  
  
"I feel so childish. Dropping that glass is what a five year old would have done." Rinoa   
said against the black leather. She felt his arms tighten around her and she sighed.   
  
"Let's go. We have no time to waste." Squall let her go and turned towards the door. As   
he put his hand on the knob, there was a knock at the door.   
  
Flinging the door open, Squall was face to face with the Headmaster. A guilty look   
sprang to Rinoa's eyes and Squall felt uneasy.  
  
"Matron wants to speak to you." Cid looked at the unhappy-looking teenagers.   
Something wasn't quite right. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Headmaster, I-" Squall started, stepping out of the room, but Rinoa cut in.  
  
"We've spilled the potion."   
  
"Well, there's nothing to be done about that right away. You must go see Matron. She is   
anxious to talk to you." Cid said with a sigh, a slight look of sorrow in his eyes and voice.   
Rinoa felt more guilty than ever.  
  
"Squall, Rinoa, you know this isn't for Tari. What we have to do is to be done for the   
good of the Garden. It's most likely that Tari will…have to go…to get rid of this demon."   
Cid said quietly, turning to lead the two teens to his office.  
  
Squall and Rinoa exchanged puzzled glances, and then followed Headmaster Cid.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Quistis giggled softly at Seifer. He'd stumbled as the two of them were trying to sneak in   
during the night. Obviously no one had missed them yet. They'd only been gone a day.  
  
"What's so funny?" He hissed at her, playfully pulling some of her blonde hair. She just   
grinned at him and the two of them proceeded to sneak in the front gate.  
  
"Shh. We'll have to climb over them." Seifer said, nimbly getting over one of the gates.   
Quistis looked at him with a knowing glance.  
  
"I see…the head of the disciplinary committee knows how to sneak in and out of   
Garden?" She teased softly, following him.  
  
"Hey, there've been a few times a guy has to get out, you know." Seifer said, catching   
hold of her hand and the two made their way into the heart of Garden. As they entered the   
hall with the directory, they heard voices.  
  
"Oh…man, busted!" Seifer whispered to his wife. She smiled at him and they continued   
to walk towards the dormitory area.  
  
"Not so." Quistis said as the two of them ducked behind a large plant pot as they watched   
Squall, Rinoa, and Headmaster Cid enter the elevator.  
  
"Wonder what's up?" Seifer mused, as he watched Squall. Quistis sighed, for the familiar   
competitive look was coming upon her new husband's face.  
  
"Let's just get back to our rooms without getting caught, okay? We'll probably hear   
about it tomorrow." Quistis tugged on his arm. He turned and saw the concerned look on   
her face. Smiling at her, he nodded and the two headed for their rooms.  
  
Reaching the dormitories, Seifer gently kissed Quistis before they parted for their   
separate rooms.   
  
Quistis went to her room in a state of bliss, and fell asleep immediately. Seifer lay awake   
in his room, wondering what was going on in Headmaster Cid's office and soon fell   
asleep.  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Matron sat in a deep black chair, the darkness of the fabric heightening the paleness of   
her skin. She watched with tired and worried eyes as the three she had been waiting for   
came to her. She smiled gently on Rinoa, who blushed, and then turned to Squall.  
  
"You do know of the demon, Rhapha?" She questioned him.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Headmaster Cid has already given as much information as possible on the   
subject." Squall said respectfully.  
  
"Then you must know about as much as there is to know."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Has there been any sign of the demon as of lately?" Matron wanted to know.  
  
"No, there hasn't been any sign at all. Tari's been under the best of care and watched   
constantly. She is being kept in one of the isolation chambers. She is weak, physically,   
mentally, and spiritually. Obviously Rhapha has drained her immensely." Squall   
reported. Matron nodded at him to continue.  
  
"Otherwise, I think that Tari would be very strong, if she were to regain all of her   
strengths. Then I believe she would be able to resist the demon. But as I look at your   
face, I can see there isn't time for that." Squall said, looking keenly at the expression on   
Matron's face.  
  
"You are right. Rhapha must be destroyed as soon as possible. I trust that you have the   
potion that Dr. Chiyuu gave you?" Matron questioned.  
  
"No. It was spilled in an accident. I'm sorry, Matron." Squall looked at the floor.  
  
Rinoa looked at Matron's kind face and something dawned on her. "Matron, did you   
bring some?"  
  
Matron's face softened beautifully as she smiled. "Yes, I did, child. I had a feeling   
something of this nature would happen."  
  
Squall felt a surge of relief flood his body. Looking at Rinoa, he saw she was her normal   
happy self. He smiled inwardly.  
  
"You must make her drink this soon, Squall. Then let her find Rhapha. I have a feeling it   
is very close at hand, the time for the girl to face her choice in life." Matron once again   
looked sad. Cid did also. Matron then handed a bottle to Squall, much like the previous   
one.  
  
"I am tired. Please, go back to bed. I must get some rest." Matron said, leaning back in   
the black chair, her face very white.  
  
Squall and Rinoa, led by Cid, left the room. Cid didn't say anything, just nodded his good   
night, and went back in to his wife.  
  
Rinoa looked at Squall. "Her choice in life? Why did Matron sound so sad?"  
  
Squall stared at the bottle of liquid in his hand. "I think she meant that Tari might not live   
through this."  
  
"No!" Rinoa's eyes immediately filled with tears. The thought of anyone dying at the   
hands of a demon was too much for her tender heart to bear. "Squall, we can't let her   
die!"  
  
"I'm sorry too, Rinoa, but it's either her, or someone else."  
  
"How can you be so cruel?"  
  
Squall just took her in his arms silently and let her cry against his jacket. Rinoa felt a   
calm start to creep over her as the tears started to flow.   
  
His brow furrowed with deep thought, Squall sighed. 'I don't understand this at all.'  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
The next morning, Zell awoke to see that all was all right. Smiling to himself, he quickly   
got out of his bed and dressed before Tari could wake up.   
  
Running a comb through his wild bed-head hair, he styled it in his usual spikey style.   
Grinning at himself in the mirror that was set up, he felt slightly different today. He   
couldn't explain it, but he felt something was going to happen.  
  
As he turned back to his part of the room, there was a knock at the door. Going over to   
the door, Zell looked through the glass slot to see who it was.  
  
Irvine and Selphie.  
  
Pulling out his key card he unlocked the door and heard the shield turn off as the two   
prepared to come in.  
  
"Hey. Tari awake yet?" Irvine asked softly as he came in. Zell shook his head.  
  
"No. Not yet." He said, locking the door again after Selphie came in.  
  
"I heard Matron came last night." Selphie informed Zell. Zell looked to Irvine to confirm   
this news and was surprised to see the mahogany haired boy nod in agreement.  
  
"What is she here for? Is it because of Tari?" Zell asked, sitting down on his bed. Irvine   
and Selphie helped themselves to chairs in the partial room.  
  
"I don't know. But something is up and I don't know wha-" Another voice cut into   
Irvine's words.  
  
"It is because of me. I've brought a curse upon Balamb Garden!" Tari stood at the edge   
of the divider of the rooms. Though they had been talking quietly, she had awakened and   
heard the last few sentences.  
  
"No. No, Tari, I'm sure it's not that…" Irvine stood, his hands out stretched to his sister,   
hoping to calm her down. Her hair was wild from sleeping and she wore shorts and a tank   
top. Her eyes seemed to flash with an unearthly fire.  
  
"I am sure! I know! I can feel it. I'm going to die!" Tari said, her voice growing louder as   
she spoke. Her eyes seemed to turn red. She put her hands to her ears as if she heard a   
noise that the others couldn't hear.  
  
"Tari, wait!! Just, calm down! I'm sure that everything will be all right!" Zell said,   
moving over to her, and gently grabbing her wrists. She struggled with him, and Zell was   
surprised to feel the strength that was all of a sudden in her. She fought her way free and   
backed up against the wall of the isolation chamber.  
  
"Why am I in this chamber? Why is Matron here? Why do I have to be protected all the   
time? Isn't it obvious? I AM GOING TO DIE!!" Tari looked wild and half-mad. Zell   
again advanced towards her. She looked at him like a trapped animal.  
  
"Don't come near me!" She warned. Irvine could only just look on, keeping his hand on   
Selphie's shoulder.  
  
"Calm down. No one is going to hurt you." Zell tried to speak in a soothing voice. She   
flinched at the sound of his words as if she had been struck. He came near her again.  
  
"STaaY Awaay…" Her head rolled to one side. Her eyes glowed completely red. "I   
DOn't wAnt TO hURt YOU…" Her speech was slurred badly.  
  
The color of her glowing eyes reminded Zell of something, but he couldn't quite place.   
He backed slightly away from Tari.  
  
"Guys, you move to the other side of the parition." He ordered. "I have to deal with her   
myself."  
  
"But, Zell…" Irvine started to say, as he pulled Selphie along with him.  
  
"GO!" Zell yelled. The last thing Irvine saw was Zell moving in on Tari again and her   
looking straight at him with those red, glowing eyes.  
  
Irvine crouched against the corner of the parition wall. Selphie was huddled against his   
back. All he could hear was Zell mumbling softly to Tari and her ordering him to stay   
away. Just when Irvine thought he couldn't stand anymore, he heard his sister make a   
final threat.  
  
"You asked for it." Her voice was calm but angry. Irvine wondered what had happened   
when he heard Zell yelling.  
  
"What the hell?" Zell's voice came over the sound of fire-crackling and a piercing   
whistle. "GOD NO!" The yell belonged to Zell. It was filled with pain.   
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
A/N:  
  
I know this looks REEALY Bad but it all turns out good in the end. I don't know how   
many chapters I have left but it might go on, but I am trying to wind it down. So, later,   
and I'll keep writing, and you keep reviewing, as long as it isn't a flame. (all flames will   
be kept to roast some poor character she doesn't like) ~Tsutae~  
  



	11. Part Eleven

Twisted Destinies: Part Eleven  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
Irvine lifted his head from his folded arms. He felt Selphie stir against his back, getting up.   
There had been about ten minutes of silence and Irvine was afraid to go and see what his   
sister had done.  
  
"Zell? Oh my god, Zell…" Tari's voice, gently talking to the boy, was the next thing Irvine   
heard. It was a comfort to him, his ears had hurt with listening so hard. Getting up, and   
helping Selphie up, he started around the parition.  
  
Looking around the edge of the dividing wall. He glanced and stopped. Selphie bumped into   
him from behind.  
  
"What is it?" Selphie hissed.  
  
Irvine held up a finger for silence. "Zell…is on the floor." He said gently.  
  
Selphie looked over Irvine's shoulder as she stood on her tippy toes.   
  
Tari was halfway bent over Zell, who lay on the ground, and yet was conscious. His eyes were   
open and looking at Tari who was gently touching his left arm. Every time she did so, his teeth   
visibly clenched and a slight hiss came from between them.  
  
"Hold still." She cautioned gently.  
  
Selphie and Irvine held their breath.  
  
Lifting her hands, it looked as if she were trying to levitate something between them at chest   
height on her body.  
  
Irvine's eyes widened. Selphie came around and stood in front of him, very interested.  
  
There was a reddish flicker from the medallion that rested on Zell's chest. He was still wearing   
it around his neck.   
  
Then, from the medallion, a smoky light began to eminate from it. There was a musical sound,   
like bird, and the light formed into an arching wide winged bird. Then it twirled into a red ball,   
floating between Tari's hands.   
  
Tari lowered the red ball of light onto Zell's left arm, which, as Irvine and Selphie could now   
see, was badly burned and an angry reddish purple in color.  
  
Zell's eyes widened as a red light, like the one between her hands, flared in a circle over Tari's   
heart as the healing red light engulfed his left arm.  
  
Irvine saw it also.   
  
Tari winced as again, some of her life force was drained from her body. 'Well, it IS for   
someone I know and lov-' She stopped in her thought and then resumed with a slight shake of   
her head. '-like and to give life and healing is also to lose it…'  
  
Zell felt the burning sensation in his arm increase, then fade to nothing. As the light   
faded, Tari's eyes widened and her body shook. She fell over onto his chest, out cold.  
  
Irvine stepped forward, brushing past the stunned Selphie. He knelt next to Zell, who   
smiled weakly, and they both glanced down at his left arm. Zell's eyes widened in   
wonder.  
  
"What is that?" Irvine touched the thin, curving black lines on Zell's arm, which looked   
much like the tattoo on Zell's face.  
  
"I don't know… It must've been burned into my arm." Zell began to roll up his sleeve as   
much as he could, for he couldn't take off his jacket with Tari leaning on his chest.  
  
As he rolled up the sleeve, the lines began to look like trailing feathers. As Zell reached a   
point where it looked like there were two sets of small clutching claws, Irvine, impatient   
to see what his sister had done, gently lifted Tari up into a sitting position, so Zell could   
sit up and take off his jacket.  
  
Doing so, Zell was in his sleeveless red shirt, and they all could see the new black tattoo   
on his arm.  
  
A bird. With trailing tail feathers and beautiful wings and an arching back. It was one of   
the most beautiful tattoos anyone of them had seen. It was much like the bird of red light   
Tari had used to heal the burning on Zell's arm.  
  
"Zell…what does this mean?" Selphie neared the three. Zell sat upright and then took the   
job of supporting Tari from Irvine.  
  
"I've no clue. I think it's a phoenix." Zell said, then looked at the unconscious girl he   
supported. Something seemed to change in his face as he watched her soft features.  
  
Selphie knew that look. It was the look that Irvine sometimes gave her when they were   
alone. Tugging on Irvine's arm, she motioned to go. "C'mon, I think we need to leave."  
  
"Take care of my sister." Irvine said to Zell, a dark look coming over Irvine's face. Zell   
didn't seem to hear.  
  
"He will. I know it." Selphie said softly. Irvine looked at her, his face softening. Selphie   
smiled and the two made their way out of the isolation chamber.  
  
Zell watched them go, and turned back to Tari.   
  
"Tari…I hope you'll be all right."  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
"…and then there was that tattoo on his arm. It was just weird, Squall. Something is   
going to happen, and soon." Selphie finished telling Squall and Rinoa what had   
happened, over lunch.  
  
Squall folded his arms and a frown appeared on his brow. Rinoa's eyes quickly filled   
with tears.  
  
"What should we do? I don't want to lose my sister." Irvine put in, putting his cup on his   
empty plate.  
  
"Matron…gave me this. I'd broken the other bottle." Squall handed Irvine the vial of pale   
violet liquid. Irvine took it and frowned slightly.  
  
"What does it do?" Irvine asked, looking up at Squall.  
  
"It isolates the host from the guardian force, yet allows the guardian force to be   
controlled." Squall said. He hated what he was going to have to say next. "The only way   
Rhapha can be killed is if her host is attacked and killed along with the guardian force."  
  
"So no matter how I look at it, I lose my sister? What if I took on the guardian force?"   
Irvine asked, his hands around the vial tightening.  
  
"That's impossible. Rhapha turns her male hosts female." Squall said, his face still   
expressionless.  
  
Irvine hit the table with his fist with a bang. His vision blurred, and the vial was all he   
could think about.  
  
"Irvine…I've got a feeling…everything will be okay." Rinoa said, gently laying her hand   
on his shoulder, a strange light to her eyes.  
  
Selphie all of a sudden felt strange, as if she knew what Rinoa was saying. She felt as if   
everything would be okay, someday.  
  
"I think so too." Selphie encouraged her fiancee.  
  
Irvine stood up. "I think I'll take this to her now. She might need it soon."   
  
The rest of the teens at the table looked at Irvine as he walked away without his usual   
spring in his step.  
  
"I really hope you girls are right. I think he'd really go nuts if he lost his only family so   
soon." Squall sighed and punched a hole in his paper plate with his fork. "I'm going to   
see if I can get some sleep."  
  
.oO~*-*~Oo.  
  
A/N: Gee, lookit, I got another chapter out! I wasn't dead~ just grounded. Don't ask meh   
what for. Going to finish this up and work on the sequel and stuff. Later! ~Tsutae~  



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